Search

Leave a Message

Thank you for your message. I will be in touch with you shortly.

Explore Properties

Buyer's Guide

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.

main

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.

main

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.

main

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.

main

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, and 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.

Passion & Expertise

My goal is to provide you with the most personalized service possible, meticulously designed to help you navigate the process of buying your dream home. I am dedicated to understanding your unique needs and preferences, ensuring that every step of the journey is tailored to achieve your ultimate home-buying aspirations.

main

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.

main

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.

main

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.

main

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.

main

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.

main

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. 

Success Stories

"Cindy was a pleasure to work with. She is very knowledgeable and professional as well as friendly and easy to talk to. She was always available to answer our questions and help us with any concerns. We always knew we were in good hands having her sell our home."
"Cindy was a pleasure to work with. She is very knowledgeable and professional as well as friendly and easy to talk to. She was always available to answer our questions and help us with any concerns. We always knew we were in good hands having her sell our home."
Seller
"Cindy helped us sell our home in Farragut. She was very knowledgeable and professional and offered great advise at every step of the way. I have complete faith in her and would use her again without hesitation, or gladly recommend her to friends. She is a pleasure to work with."
"Cindy helped us sell our home in Farragut. She was very knowledgeable and professional and offered great advise at every step of the way. I have complete faith in her and would use her again without hesitation, or gladly recommend her to friends. She is a pleasure to work with."
Seller
"Cindy is the best realtor! She is very professional responsive courteous and personable. Having bought our house virtually she was there every step of the way. She went above and beyond for us and we are very appreciative that she always had our best interests in mind."
"Cindy is the best realtor! She is very professional responsive courteous and personable. Having bought our house virtually she was there every step of the way. She went above and beyond for us and we are very appreciative that she always had our best interests in mind."
Buyer
"Cindy was absolutely fantastic from start to finish, we cannot sing her praises enough! We made a big cross-country move which is scary enough, let alone trying to find your dream home in a brand new area you don't know anything about yet. Cindy took full control and showed us several properties, almost immediately, that were exactly our style! She was so attentive, especially given the time change, there were nights she was in contact with us late into the evening, and she truly went above and beyond. We found our perfect home in less than 2 months in a very competitive market. The entire process was smooth sailing, and she and her TC Heather kept everything right on track! I would recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell, no matter if you're moving across town, or across the country like us! Thank you, Cindy!"
"Cindy was absolutely fantastic from start to finish, we cannot sing her praises enough! We made a big cross-country move which is scary enough, let alone trying to find your dream home in a brand new area you don't know anything about yet. Cindy took full control and showed us several properties, almost immediately, that were exactly our style! She was so attentive, especially given the time change, there were nights she was in contact with us late into the evening, and she truly went above and beyond. We found our perfect home in less than 2 months in a very competitive market. The entire process was smooth sailing, and she and her TC Heather kept everything right on track! I would recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell, no matter if you're moving across town, or across the country like us! Thank you, Cindy!"
Selina V.
"Cindy is wonderful to work with, we found her to be friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and pleasant to be around. If you are looking for an agent to buy or sell a property we very highly recommend Cindy."
"Cindy is wonderful to work with, we found her to be friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and pleasant to be around. If you are looking for an agent to buy or sell a property we very highly recommend Cindy."
Buyer | Seller
"Cindy was fantastic to work with. She was friendly and very professional. She understood what we were looking for and answered all our questions patiently. We would definitely recommend her."
"Cindy was fantastic to work with. She was friendly and very professional. She understood what we were looking for and answered all our questions patiently. We would definitely recommend her."
Mustafa O.
"Cindy did an amazing job helping us find our first home. She made the process very simple and smooth. She was very patient in helping us find our home. With us being first-time home buyers we had a lot of questions, and Cindy made sure we had the answers for all of them. We will absolutely use Cindy again if we decide to buy or sell a home in the future!"
"Cindy did an amazing job helping us find our first home. She made the process very simple and smooth. She was very patient in helping us find our home. With us being first-time home buyers we had a lot of questions, and Cindy made sure we had the answers for all of them. We will absolutely use Cindy again if we decide to buy or sell a home in the future!"
Ethan H.
"Cindy Kraus did an excellent job making our house-hunting wishes and dreams come to realization. She took all our wants into consideration and consistently showed us homes we approved until we found the perfect one! She was tireless in her pursuit while being totally responsive to our schedule. We were inexperienced and received excellent guidance through the process. She made our relocation to a new city a real pleasure. Cindy has our highest recommendation!"
"Cindy Kraus did an excellent job making our house-hunting wishes and dreams come to realization. She took all our wants into consideration and consistently showed us homes we approved until we found the perfect one! She was tireless in her pursuit while being totally responsive to our schedule. We were inexperienced and received excellent guidance through the process. She made our relocation to a new city a real pleasure. Cindy has our highest recommendation!"
Vickie G.
"Cindy is so kind and caring. She was very patient with us and worked so well with our time constraints. We were from outside of town and she was willing to pack tours in and work with what we wanted even though at first we didn't know. She was patient with family drama and not only helped us find a house but also helped with recommendations. She was almost a mother figure. Would suggest a hundred times over!"
"Cindy is so kind and caring. She was very patient with us and worked so well with our time constraints. We were from outside of town and she was willing to pack tours in and work with what we wanted even though at first we didn't know. She was patient with family drama and not only helped us find a house but also helped with recommendations. She was almost a mother figure. Would suggest a hundred times over!"
Ryan S.
"Cindy was truly the best! She went above and beyond to sell our house and buy our new house. She walked us through every step and we are so appreciative of all of her help! Our home sold in just 3 days with multiple offers! She was always available to answer any questions we had and even helped stage our home before listing. We have recommended her to all of our friends and we will definitely use her again if we ever have to sell or buy another home in Knoxville."
"Cindy was truly the best! She went above and beyond to sell our house and buy our new house. She walked us through every step and we are so appreciative of all of her help! Our home sold in just 3 days with multiple offers! She was always available to answer any questions we had and even helped stage our home before listing. We have recommended her to all of our friends and we will definitely use her again if we ever have to sell or buy another home in Knoxville."
Stines B.

Follow Me On Instagram