First-Time Buyers
A free consultation before any showings, a free seminar if you would rather not talk to an agent yet, and an app that walks you through it one step at a time.
Nobody is born knowing how this works
The hardest part of buying your first house is that everyone involved talks as though you already understand it. Earnest money, appraisal gaps, contingencies, underwriting conditions, all delivered at speed by people who forgot these were ever unfamiliar words.
You are allowed to not know. You are allowed to ask the same question twice. Educating you is a specific part of what I do, and it is the E in F.E.N.D.
If you would rather learn the process before talking to an agent at all, the buyer seminars are free and there is no pitch at the end. Quite a few people come to one, go away for a year, and come back when they are ready. That is a completely normal way to do this.
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What you can afford is not one number
A pre-approval gives you a maximum. It is not a recommendation, and the gap between those two things is where first-time buyers get into trouble.
The number that matters is the monthly payment with taxes and insurance included, against what you actually want your life to look like. Being approved for a figure does not mean spending it is a good idea, and I would rather you bought comfortably than at the ceiling.
Being a licensed lender as well as an agent means we can work through that properly: what different loan types do to your payment, what a lower down payment actually costs over time, and whether paying points makes sense for how long you plan to stay.
The costs nobody mentions until late
Your down payment is not the only cash you need. Closing costs, the inspection, the appraisal and the earnest money all land at different points, and finding out about them the week before closing is a bad experience nobody should have.
You will get the full picture at the consultation, in writing, before you look at a single house. That includes which costs are negotiable, which are sometimes covered by a seller, and roughly what each one runs here.
Utah has had down payment assistance programs and first-time buyer programs, and they change. Whether any of them fit you depends on your situation, your income and the property, and it is worth actually checking rather than assuming you do not qualify.
The first house does not have to be forever
A lot of first-time buyers stall because they are trying to choose a house they will still want in twenty years. That is a heavy thing to ask of a first purchase, and it is usually the wrong frame.
Most people move within about a decade. The question worth asking is whether this house works for the next several years and whether it holds its value well enough to get you into the next one. That is a much easier question, and it is answerable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do I need for a down payment?
Less than most people assume. There are loan programs with low down payment requirements, and Utah has had assistance programs that come and go. What applies to you depends on your income, the loan and the property, so it is worth checking rather than assuming.
What credit score do I need?
It depends on the loan type, and the honest answer is that the score affects your rate as much as your approval. If your score is the thing standing in the way, that is often fixable in a few months, and knowing which months matters.
Should I wait for rates to drop?
Nobody can tell you where rates are going, and anyone who says they can is guessing. What can be planned for is what happens if they do drop, which is a conversation about refinancing rather than a reason to wait.
Can I go to a seminar without committing to anything?
Yes. That is what they are for. Free, no obligation, and no pitch at the end.
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