The process of buying a home can be overwhelming at times, but you don't need to go through it alone.
You may be wondering if now is a good time to buy a home… or if you should continue renting. The free eGuide below will answer many of your questions and likely bring up a few things you didn't even know you should consider when buying a home.
Simply fill out the form below to receive your copy of the eGuide, and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
Simply fill out the form to get your free copy of the eGuide—and feel free to reach out with any questions along the way.
Our free guide breaks down the process step by step—covering what to know, what to expect, and what most first-time buyers miss.
This free eGuide below will answer many of your questions and likely bring up a few things you didn't even know you should consider when buying a home.
Simply fill out the form to receive your copy of the eGuide, and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
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 our team will help reduce the stress of buying a home and help you enjoy the journey as much as possible.
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.
Notice we 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.
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.
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 agents like us to take much of the stress off your shoulders? Not only will we help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but we also have knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, this is where our expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play. Let us show you around some homes that meet your dream home criteria so you can find the one that's right for you.
Our goal is to provide you with the most personalized service that is designed to help you buy your dream home
This should be the most enjoyable step of the entire process (other than moving in!). We 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.
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. We 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.
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. We 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lynne and her team were super efficient in helping us find our current home. We are grateful for Lynne’s insight on the neighborhoods we were pursuing. She was quick to respond to all of the questions and made sure we were able...
Lynne Bingham is everything I have ever wished for in a Real estate agent. She is very knowledgeable of the area and only recommended homes and locations that met my criteria. She answered all of my questions in a timely manner...
Selling a house and buying a house can be stressful, well, that’s not my experience with Lynne Bingham! I did both, and her professionalism, expertise, and high level of communication behind this dual process were stellar. I wo...
Lynne and her team are amazing. They make the process seamless from beginning to end. They give great advice and know the market so well. I would highly recommend anyone working with them. It makes buying a home so much less st...
I can’t express enough how amazing Lynne was in the process of finding our home. As out-of-state buyers, she continuously went above and beyond to visit houses we were interested in, sent us detailed reports on every aspect of ...
I was a first-time home buyer and relatively new to Pittsburgh. I had no real estate contacts and didn’t know where to start! I was given Lynne’s contact info from a patient at work. When I contacted Lynne, I told her I would h...
We first met Lynne and her team when we bought our first house almost 8 years ago. We had a great experience, and it was an easy decision to contact her when we were ready to sell and look for our long-term forever home. Lynne ...
Working with Lynne to purchase our new home has been effortless. We started the process of looking for a home with Lynne before we had moved or sold our home in Texas. She went to several home openings and FaceTimed with us, un...
Phenomenal. I’ve worked with numerous real estate agent over the years, and Lynne was far and away the best. She has a wealth of experience, is a fierce advocate, a tireless educator, and really the perfect person to help you n...
Lynne and her team were fantastic to work with. We are first-time home buyers moving back to Pittsburgh, searching for our home while living in South Florida. Lynne did an amazing job walking us through the whole process, and s...
Lynne was absolutely wonderful to work with! She works so hard and does an incredible job. She sold our property while we were living in a different state and made sure everything was so smooth and easy while we couldn’t be the...
When it comes to selling real estate, Lynne and her team are the gold standard. For any issue that arose with selling my house, the Bingham Team had a solution (and an unmatched Rolodex of trustworthy, reliable, and talented ve...
I can’t recommend Lynne enough. She was able to pull off two closings on two separate houses on the same day. If that weren’t enough, she was able to calmly and professionally address all the little nuisances that inevitably co...
Lynne is an incredibly knowledgeable real estate agent who helped to efficiently execute a purchase under challenging market conditions. Further, her connections to other professionals, including construction contractors, have ...
We were beyond lucky to have Lynne Bingham by our side as our real estate guru during our recent home-buying journey. Finding the perfect home for our parents, who decided to downsize after living in their beloved home for 50 y...
Lynne was extraordinary. She helped us buy a condo remotely. We did a “tour” via FaceTime, where she showed us the property and pointed out the pros and cons. We made a decision to buy, and all details were handled via email, t...
As first-time home buyers, Lynne and her team were everything we could ask for in a realty team and more! She helped navigate us through all of the difficulties in today's market, answering our questions honestly and with incre...
My former home, located at 1080 Gromwell Lane, Bridgeville, PA 15017, was sold in Q4 of 2023. Lynne was recommended to me by a number of residents who live in Newbury. We put the property on the market after Lynne and her team ...
Lynne was fantastic in helping us buy a new home in the area we were interested in buying! She knows everything about the local Pittsburgh area and is a great communicator! She always kept us updated on the home we were looking...
Lynne was amazing from start to finish. Could not have had a better experience! She was always there when we needed anything. She made the overwhelming task of selling and moving easy. We cannot say enough great things about he...
Experience expert guidance, personalized service, and innovative marketing tailored to your real estate goals. From first-time buyers to seasoned investors, we offer seamless support backed by Howard Hanna’s full suite of services—including mortgage assistance and Concierge care. Whatever your needs, we’re here to help.
