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A Step-by-Step First Time Buyer's Guide

Buying a home is one of the most exciting milestones of your life. To prepare yourself for this moment, you need to know what to expect during the process. This step-by-step first time buyer’s guide created by your agent will help reduce the stress of buying a home and help you enjoy the journey as much as possible.

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Step 1: Research

Do you already know where you want to buy? If you want a condo, townhome, or single-family home? Which features do you like and dislike? What’s available on the market now? If you answered no to any of these questions, now is the time to start researching. In addition to looking for homes that interest you, also take note of any changes in asking prices. This could give you valuable insight into housing trends in specific neighborhoods and help you when the time comes to make an offer.

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Step 2: Decide on Your Budget

Notice I said to decide on your budget—not determine how much the mortgage company will give you. In many cases, a mortgage company will pre-approve you for more than you’re comfortable spending, which is why you need to determine the monthly payment you feel comfortable with before talking to a lender. This likely includes doing a full household budget and taking into consideration what changes other than a mortgage payment will occur once you move into your new home. If you’ve lived in an apartment or with roommates, you may overlook new expenses like garbage, water, or HOA fees that could easily blow your budget.

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Step 3: Get Prequalified

Just because you think you can afford a certain payment every month doesn’t mean the mortgage company will agree. Just as they may approve you for too large of an amount, they may also approve you for a lesser amount or deny you a mortgage altogether. Lack of time at a job, insufficient credit, past bankruptcies, or other financial issues can cause major problems when trying to secure a mortgage. Before you get your heart set on a home, talk to a mortgage professional to find out what amount you can qualify for. This will also be an advantage when you make an offer on a home, as some sellers won’t entertain offers from those who aren’t already prequalified for a loan.

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Step 4: Choose a Real Estate Agent

Can you shop for, look at, and ultimately make an offer on a home without a real estate agent? Technically yes, but why would you when it costs you nothing for an agent like me to take much of the stress off your shoulders? Not only will I help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but I also have a knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, this is where my expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play. Let me show you around some homes that meet your dream home criteria so you can find the one that's right for you.

My Goal is to Provide You with The Most Personalized Service that is Designed to Help You Buy Your Dream Home

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Step 5: Find the Right Home

This should be the most enjoyable step of the entire process (other than moving in!). I will arrange showings of homes you’re interested in that are within your price range. Take notes about what you like and don’t like, and make sure to pay attention to details. Turn light switches on and off, open and close doors, and run the faucets in various rooms. Don’t limit your inspection to the home itself. Make sure to take time to explore the neighborhood and keep an eye on traffic at certain times of the day, the parking situation, and how close it is to necessities like schools and grocery stores.

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Step 6: Make an Offer

Once you have selected the perfect home, work with your agent to craft a fair offer based on the value of comparable homes on the market. Depending on what the home is listed at and whether the current environment is a buyer’s or seller’s market, your offer may be below, at, or even above the asking price. I will be able to help you negotiate if you receive a counteroffer and reach an agreement. At this point, the house will go into escrow.

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Step 7: Have the Home Inspected

In most cases, your offer will be contingent on having the home inspected to ensure there is no major structural damage or large repairs needed. I can help you arrange this, and you can schedule it within days of making an offer. If there are no major issues, the process goes to step eight. If there is, you can renegotiate your offer based on what needs to be fixed, or you can withdraw it.

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Step 8: Select Your Loan

Now is the time to go back to the mortgage lender who pre-approved or pre-qualified you and choose your mortgage. You will be presented with various options based on your unique financial situation, including fixed-rate, variable-rate, 15-year, 30-year, or special programs such as VA loans or FHA loans. Work with your mortgage lender to select the option you feel the most comfortable with.

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Step 9: Get a Home Appraisal

Your lender will have your new home appraised so they have their independent value of it. The appraisal is to ensure that all parties involved are paying a fair price for the house.

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Step 10: Finish Paperwork

No one looks forward to all the paperwork involved in buying a home, but it’s a necessary part of the process. Fortunately, everything will be arranged by your lender and title company and, when you’re finished, you’ll know you are the legal owner of your new home.

Congratulations!

After signing the final paperwork to complete the purchase, you are now the owner of a new house. It may take a few days for your loan to be funded once the paperwork has been returned to the lender, but once that check is delivered to the seller, you’ll be all set to move into the home of your dreams.

What My Clients Say

It is without hesitation that I highly recommend Lisa to anyone seeking a Realtor. She has a unique set of qualities that are truly amazing and raise her above other Realtors I've worked with in the past. She is high energy, engaging, knowledgeable, reliable, and approaches each situation with a let's get this done attitude. In addition to her focused commitment to achieving the purchase or sale, she mai...

— Buyer

What My Clients Say

Lisa Moule is spectacular as a real estate agent who gets things done! Her personal style is creative and diligent, leading to the sale of my condo with multiple offers above the asking price—all in a couple of days. She jumped right in to educate me about ways to make my beautiful condo even more compelling—bringing her own special touches with flowers and "beachy" additions. She even got down on her kn...

— Janet J.

What My Clients Say

Ms. Moule was very knowledgeable about the area that I was looking for. She knew what we needed to do to secure the purchase. We outbid multiple offers that were made by other potential buyers. All due to her insight. I look forward to her assistance in my next real estate purchase.

— Buyer

What My Clients Say

Lisa is a great agent and even better person. She is a hard worker and extremely patient with clients. Our home sold right after the first open house. She helped us find the perfect new home.

— Buyer

What My Clients Say

Our son referred Lisa Moule to us, and it was the best ever reference we could have been given! Lisa made wise and excellent suggestions on how to enhance our house in Torrance to its best advantage. She could see what we could not after living there for 35 years. With a few improvements, our garden was fit for a king, front and back yards, among other improvements inside the house. Lisa has a degree in ...

— Genie B.

What My Clients Say

Lisa͏ went above and beyond to handle the sale of our home. Her market knowledge is an A+, professionalism second to none, and she truly cares. When tragedy struck for our family and we were unable to get to finalizing the last odds and ends, Lisa stepped in to handle cleaning out the garage, sprucing up the yard, coordinating the painters, and staging. In normal circumstances, we would have never expect...

— Evelina N.

What My Clients Say

Best in the Business! I couldn't be happier with Lisa and all she provided through not just the process of buying my home, but then 5 years later, selling it. She navigated all of the stress, had amazing communication with my wife and me, and made the process seamless! It felt more like family than it did a real estate agent! Thank you, Lisa, for being so great.

— Darin T.

What My Clients Say

I have been aware of Lisa through visiting the Open Houses she has presented. When it came time for me to sell, I was aware that she represented 2 sellers very similar to mine and had sold those properties for the highest sales price per square foot ever sold on the Esplanade. I listed with Lisa. My sale exceeded her historically highest sales price and was the smoothest deal possible. I can't recommend ...

— Samantha S.

What My Clients Say

Couldn't have gone any smoother! Lisa's advice was invaluable. We worked together for several months to bring the house up to the market standard we both wanted. She added the final touches that made the house stand out. Her knowledge of the market was stellar, and she set the tone of the sale at a perfect price. This sale could not have gone smoother! Lisa is honest and cares about her clients. I cannot...

— Victoria K.

What My Clients Say

The best agent and selling experience! From the first contact to sale, it has been an experience I will be forever grateful for. The knowledge, expertise, and strategy to help sell our family condominium were more support and help than I could ever imagine. It sold in ten days, with Lisa doing all the support to get us ready to put the condo on the market since I live out of state. She goes above and bey...

— Karyn S.

What My Clients Say

Lisa Moule has been my realtor for many years and has sold two of my oceanfront properties. This last property on the Esplanade in Redondo Beach, CA, needed a lot of work in order to get a quality return for it. With me having very little to no time to handle the repairs and remodel, I asked her to take it on for me. Little to say, she took the bull by the horns and got it handled! She not only interview...

— Buyer & Seller

What My Clients Say

We just completed a massive move to California from Australia in November 2016. It is rare to meet a professional person who can equally negotiate high client expectations and also take the time to walk you through the smaller human steps. Lisa's passion for Southern California is profound. To just highly recommend her would be an injustice, given her expansive skill set! I have personally never met such...

— Saskia B.

What My Clients Say

I was impressed with Lisa the first time we met. She showed me and was knowledgeable about each property. She also showed some additional properties that were out of my "comfort zone" that she thought I might like. Well. Guess what? She sold me on a particular unit that was out of my price budget, but negotiated with the seller and provided me with an amazing price that was easily affordable. Lisa has th...

— Buyer

What My Clients Say

Lisa's knowledge of the real estate industry and expertise in the South Bay region were critical in getting our offer accepted in an extremely competitive market. Throughout the process, Lisa was professional, thorough, and got us from offer acceptance to closing smoothly and quickly. It was truly a pleasure to work with Lisa, and I would recommend her to anyone looking for a home in the South Bay!

— Buyer

What My Clients Say

Lisa is amazing. We told her what we wanted, and she knew exactly what houses to visit. It took a short amount of time to find the dream house. She is very efficient and can negotiate as well. She has lots of experience, and it shows. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a new home in Manhattan Beach and the surrounding areas. Thank you, Lisa, for everything you did for us.

— Aurore C.

What My Clients Say

Lisa is a Rock Star! I happily and highly recommend her to anyone looking for a new home in the South Bay. Lisa went way above and beyond to get us our family home in perfect condition and did all of the negotiation masterfully on our behalf. It all worked lightning fast, seamlessly, and we had a lot of fun in the process. Lisa is knowledgeable, has a great ability to understand needs, and provides excel...

— Anton R.

What My Clients Say

Lisa is a very hard-working, energetic professional. As a seller, Lisa listened to my ideas and provided great guidance. Property sold and closed smoothly. I would recommend her to friends and family.

— Seller

What My Clients Say

My partner and I met Lisa when we were looking for a place to rent due to a company relocation. We liked her right off the bat, as she was honest, likable, and knowledgeable about the South Bay Area. I asked my company to replace the realtor they had selected with her, as we felt like there was a better fit. Lisa was extremely proactive at sending listings, giving her opinion on specific areas in the Sou...

— Stephen R.

What My Clients Say

We met Lisa when my partner and I were looking for a house in the South Bay area. She is so responsive! When visiting to look for homes, this makes a huge difference. She is very friendly and goes above and beyond. Even when that means climbing on the roof to retrieve my partner's sunglasses when he accidentally threw them up on the roof. Lisa's email updates for properties in the areas we had selected w...

— R. Smith

What My Clients Say

I have had Lisa find me homes to purchase on two different occasions. During both transactions, I was very happy with the end result, and I feel like she got me the best deal possible. She even bought a new refrigerator for the second house as a housewarming gift. If I am in the market again to buy a home in the Southbay I will definitely use her.

— Brad S.

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Get assistance in determining current property value, crafting a competitive offer, writing and negotiating a contract, and much more. Contact Lisa today to discuss all your real estate needs!