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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.

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Step 1: Compile Your Wish List

Decide which communities, home features, and property types you and your family prefer. Have candid conversations about which of these characteristics are required, and which are “nice to have” in your next home.

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Step 2: Decide on Your Budget

Examine your current expenses and determine how they might change if you purchase a home. Create a comprehensive household budget so you can factor in any new ongoing expenses that might come with a home purchase, such as garbage and recycling, water, or homeowner’s association fees. Once you decide how these expenses will change, you’ll be better equipped to leverage the information you get in step three.

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Step 3: Get Prequalified

Prequalification is a great start for understanding your purchasing power, but it’s not the only factor. A lender may pre-approve you for more than you’re comfortable spending, which is why the budget you compiled in step two is so important. The opposite can also happen, where you believe you can afford a certain payment every month, but the bank doesn’t agree. This often happens when you’re new to your job, have insufficient credit, or have bankruptcies or other financial issues in your history.

You’re not required to stick with this lender when you ultimately finance your purchase, but this process is a great way to vet mortgage providers. Also, a prequalification letter can make you a more competitive candidate in multiple-offer situations.

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Step 4: Choose Your Real Estate Expert

Now it’s time to find your dedicated real estate representative! Regulations enacted in 2024 require real estate agents to obtain a signed buyer’s agreement before showing consumers homes. Of course, your agent does a great deal more than opening up listings; Your agent can help you understand your local market, identify areas and properties that fit your specific criteria, help you create competitive offers that match your financial and logistical needs, and much more.

Dedicated Service, Real Results

Finding the perfect home and navigating the purchase process can be daunting. Leverage my knowledge and expertise and enjoy your personalized real estate journey.

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Step 5: Find the Right Home

Your agent will arrange showings of properties that meet your specific criteria and price range, taking note of your likes and dislikes to further refine their search parameters. Your agent will help you explore the details — from storage to light switches to the flow of a home — and understand the pros and cons of the options in front of you. Your agent will also help you make time to explore the neighborhood and examine elements like local traffic at different times of the day, parking options, and proximity to neighborhood amenities like schools and grocery stores.

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Step 6: Finalize Your Financing

Once you’ve narrowed down your home search, it’s time to go back to the mortgage provider who prequalified you in step three and obtain preapproval. With a property and purchase price in mind, your lender can get much more specific about your interest rate, monthly payments, the term of the loan, and special programs such as first-time homebuyer grants and loans through the VA and FHA. While you will primarily work with your bank to select the right options for you, I'm here (Your agent) to offer support and recommend a mortgage provider I've worked with in the past if you get stuck.

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Step 7: Make an Offer

Once you have selected the perfect home and have your finances in order, your agent will help you craft a fair offer price based on the value of comparable homes on the market. You’ll also work through details such as timing, contingencies, and fees. After your agent submits the offer on your behalf, your agent will help you negotiate counteroffers and reach an agreement with the seller. At this point, the house will go into escrow.

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Step 8: Have the Home Inspected

In most cases, your offer will be contingent on the home passing inspection. This protects you from purchasing a property that has serious structural issues or requires major repairs. Your agent has a list of trusted local providers, but you can hire any licensed home inspector you like. If the inspection uncovers major issues, you can withdraw from the sale or renegotiate your offer based on what needs to be fixed.

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Step 9: Obtain a Home Appraisal

The appraisal ensures that you are paying a fair price for the house. Your mortgage provider will hire an appraiser to inspect the property and offer an independent opinion of its value. Sometimes, appraisals may come in too low, which can impact the amount of money the bank is willing to lend. In this case, your agent can help you determine next steps and navigate the appeal process.

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Step 10: Complete the Paperwork

No one looks forward to all the paperwork stacked up on the closing table, 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 be 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

Testimonials

"Naoko is an outstanding real estate agent who combines professionalism with a warm, approachable demeanor. She expertly guided us through the often overwhelming home-buying journey, offering both insightful education and unwavering support along the way. We toured numerous homes together and submitted several offers before ultimately securing our home. Thanks to her exceptional negotiation skills, we were able to close the deal in a competitive market with a preemptive offer! We truly appreciated her dedication to providing personalized attention. She carefully reviewing each offer and contract to ensure we were fully comfortable with every decision. Naoko’s expertise and commitment made home ownership a reality for us, and we are incredibly grateful for her invaluable guidance throughout the process."
"Naoko is an outstanding real estate agent who combines professionalism with a warm, approachable demeanor. She expertly guided us through the often overwhelming home-buying journey, offering both insightful education and unwavering support along the way. We toured numerous homes together and submitted several offers before ultimately securing our home. Thanks to her exceptional negotiation skills, we were able to close the deal in a competitive market with a preemptive offer! We truly appreciated her dedication to providing personalized attention. She carefully reviewing each offer and contract to ensure we were fully comfortable with every decision. Naoko’s expertise and commitment made home ownership a reality for us, and we are incredibly grateful for her invaluable guidance throughout the process."
Will Y.
"I both purchased a home and sold my previous home with Naoko. She was incredibly responsive and helpful. She provided resources in addition to carrying out the real estate aspects of the transactions. She is highly personable and a wonderful negotiator. Naoko Amaya is an amazing real estate agent!"
"I both purchased a home and sold my previous home with Naoko. She was incredibly responsive and helpful. She provided resources in addition to carrying out the real estate aspects of the transactions. She is highly personable and a wonderful negotiator. Naoko Amaya is an amazing real estate agent!"
Cynthia L.
"Naoko is one of the kindest and the most hardest-working people I’ve come across in my life. She’s the best realtor and an expert in her field. If you’re looking for your next house, look no further and get working with her. She’ll help you secure your dream home!"
"Naoko is one of the kindest and the most hardest-working people I’ve come across in my life. She’s the best realtor and an expert in her field. If you’re looking for your next house, look no further and get working with her. She’ll help you secure your dream home!"
Smita N.
"Naoko was introduced to me by a trusted friend and as soon as we met I instantly knew why. As a first time home buyer I was new to the process and could not be more grateful for the guidance Naoko provided. She listened to what I was looking for and helped to anticipate my needs throughout process of searching for a home as well as during the contract period. I appreciate that she was timely on all questions and came back to me with thoughtful research to support her point of view. I would recommend Naoko to any buyer that is looking for a realtor who will go the extra mile during the home buying journey."
"Naoko was introduced to me by a trusted friend and as soon as we met I instantly knew why. As a first time home buyer I was new to the process and could not be more grateful for the guidance Naoko provided. She listened to what I was looking for and helped to anticipate my needs throughout process of searching for a home as well as during the contract period. I appreciate that she was timely on all questions and came back to me with thoughtful research to support her point of view. I would recommend Naoko to any buyer that is looking for a realtor who will go the extra mile during the home buying journey."
Maddie C.
"Naoko is a fantastic realtor who helped me purchase my dream home. She was professional, always reachable, and worked hard to find me a home that met my needs. She was responsive to my questions and concerns, negotiated a great price, and went above and beyond to help me find the perfect home. She knows the market very well, so she can provide the best advice you can ask for. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to buy or sell a home."
"Naoko is a fantastic realtor who helped me purchase my dream home. She was professional, always reachable, and worked hard to find me a home that met my needs. She was responsive to my questions and concerns, negotiated a great price, and went above and beyond to help me find the perfect home. She knows the market very well, so she can provide the best advice you can ask for. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to buy or sell a home."
Kensuke K.
"We can't even begin to tell you how happy we were with the job Naoko did for us. Naoko is the most dependable and responsible real estate agent we've ever worked with, and it's not even close. She sold our rental property and went through a 1031 exchange and found us an exchange property, and made the process as smooth as possible. We recommend Naoko Amaya to be your real estate agent, and you will not regret it."
"We can't even begin to tell you how happy we were with the job Naoko did for us. Naoko is the most dependable and responsible real estate agent we've ever worked with, and it's not even close. She sold our rental property and went through a 1031 exchange and found us an exchange property, and made the process as smooth as possible. We recommend Naoko Amaya to be your real estate agent, and you will not regret it."
Richard G.
"We were first time home buyers and had a very large search radius. Naoko helped us view over 20 houses all over the bay area and she accompanied us to all locations that we were interested in, some of which required more than an hour of driving each way. She also introduced us to new locations that we had not considered before but turned out to be very appealing to us. One thing that we loved about her as our agent was that she was very patient and we never felt pushed to speed our search or make a rash decision. Moreover, Naoko was very prompt in responding to our text messages and she was readily available for phone calls. She took the time to know our interests, priorities and criteria when it comes to buying a home and found us a house that was a perfect match. She was a very polite and joyful person to work with and we are very happy with our home purchase."
"We were first time home buyers and had a very large search radius. Naoko helped us view over 20 houses all over the bay area and she accompanied us to all locations that we were interested in, some of which required more than an hour of driving each way. She also introduced us to new locations that we had not considered before but turned out to be very appealing to us. One thing that we loved about her as our agent was that she was very patient and we never felt pushed to speed our search or make a rash decision. Moreover, Naoko was very prompt in responding to our text messages and she was readily available for phone calls. She took the time to know our interests, priorities and criteria when it comes to buying a home and found us a house that was a perfect match. She was a very polite and joyful person to work with and we are very happy with our home purchase."
Bita N.
"We started looking for a house during the pandemic. Even though Naoko responded quickly, there were a few times the houses became pending before our visit. She was very supportive and her warm personality helped us a lot throughout the process. We had worked with other realtors in the past, but she is the best! Highly recommended!"
"We started looking for a house during the pandemic. Even though Naoko responded quickly, there were a few times the houses became pending before our visit. She was very supportive and her warm personality helped us a lot throughout the process. We had worked with other realtors in the past, but she is the best! Highly recommended!"
Satoko W.
"We had a wonderful house hunting and buying experience with Naoko. She was diligent in understanding our needs and gave sound advice when it came to placing a competitive bid on a house that didn't make us feel overextended. Naoko was super responsive to our many requests to view open homes and answered all of our questions no matter how late it was in the day. She guided us thru the entire process and made sure we understood all of the pieces. We highly recommend Naoko to any potential home buyers."
"We had a wonderful house hunting and buying experience with Naoko. She was diligent in understanding our needs and gave sound advice when it came to placing a competitive bid on a house that didn't make us feel overextended. Naoko was super responsive to our many requests to view open homes and answered all of our questions no matter how late it was in the day. She guided us thru the entire process and made sure we understood all of the pieces. We highly recommend Naoko to any potential home buyers."
Carlton C.
"We're very grateful for Naoko in help in buying our new construction condo, and sell our old place. She sent us a lot of recommendations to get us started, then she arranged visits to several places over a couple of weeks until we found one we loved. She was always available and prompt in scheduling. Once we decided, Naoko negotiate a great price and got the builder to put in extra stuff for us. Unfortunately construction delay dragged on for over a year due to supply shortage in 2021, but Naoko stayed on top of things throughout, contacted the new building on schedule updates, offered help in short term rentals and moving and storage services, and made the wait much easier."
"We're very grateful for Naoko in help in buying our new construction condo, and sell our old place. She sent us a lot of recommendations to get us started, then she arranged visits to several places over a couple of weeks until we found one we loved. She was always available and prompt in scheduling. Once we decided, Naoko negotiate a great price and got the builder to put in extra stuff for us. Unfortunately construction delay dragged on for over a year due to supply shortage in 2021, but Naoko stayed on top of things throughout, contacted the new building on schedule updates, offered help in short term rentals and moving and storage services, and made the wait much easier."
Yun L.
"I highly recommend Naoko! As first-time buyers, we could not have asked for a better experience. From helping us connect with an excellent mortgage broker to closing, Naoko was there to help us every step of the way. When we wanted to tour more homes more aggressively, she brought in an excellent and wonderful associate realtor to help. Together, they organized and attended multiple touring days, accompanying us on every walkthrough and patiently taking notes for us. Naoko is knowledgeable about all aspects of bay area real estate and knew exactly how to position us to be able to get an offer accepted. Even in this crazy market, we were able to have our second offer accepted due to her expertise and ability to negotiate with the sellers agent. In the end, we got a single-family house we love within our budget, which we thought was an impossible task at the outset! Highly highly recommend."
"I highly recommend Naoko! As first-time buyers, we could not have asked for a better experience. From helping us connect with an excellent mortgage broker to closing, Naoko was there to help us every step of the way. When we wanted to tour more homes more aggressively, she brought in an excellent and wonderful associate realtor to help. Together, they organized and attended multiple touring days, accompanying us on every walkthrough and patiently taking notes for us. Naoko is knowledgeable about all aspects of bay area real estate and knew exactly how to position us to be able to get an offer accepted. Even in this crazy market, we were able to have our second offer accepted due to her expertise and ability to negotiate with the sellers agent. In the end, we got a single-family house we love within our budget, which we thought was an impossible task at the outset! Highly highly recommend."
Holly S.
"Naoko is the absolute best! My family would not have our dream home if it weren’t for her. Not only were our transactions extremely complicated (buy new primary residence, sell 2 properties with specific timing involved), but they were also in an extremely competitive neighborhood (Campbell and Los Gatos) and under a volatile environment (while interest rates were jumping up). Naoko was patient as we took our time (~1 year) finding the perfect home. She gave us great advice throughout the experience and helped prep us for the eventual buy and sells under a very tight timeline. She was also very responsive, professional, candid, and pleasant to work with through all the twists and turns. My family couldn’t be happier with how everything worked out and would absolutely recommend her to family and friends, and work with her again for future real estate transactions."
"Naoko is the absolute best! My family would not have our dream home if it weren’t for her. Not only were our transactions extremely complicated (buy new primary residence, sell 2 properties with specific timing involved), but they were also in an extremely competitive neighborhood (Campbell and Los Gatos) and under a volatile environment (while interest rates were jumping up). Naoko was patient as we took our time (~1 year) finding the perfect home. She gave us great advice throughout the experience and helped prep us for the eventual buy and sells under a very tight timeline. She was also very responsive, professional, candid, and pleasant to work with through all the twists and turns. My family couldn’t be happier with how everything worked out and would absolutely recommend her to family and friends, and work with her again for future real estate transactions."
Cory W.
"Naoko helped us to decide on the housing area when we were new and learning about the housing market. She was very helpful and helped us visit more than 40 houses before we made the purchase."
"Naoko helped us to decide on the housing area when we were new and learning about the housing market. She was very helpful and helped us visit more than 40 houses before we made the purchase."
Lakshmi R.
"Naoko did an amazing job helping me and my fiancé purchase our first home. We were initially working with Naoko to look for property in the Bay Area. Naoko is very knowledgeable in the real estate realm and provided us with the guidance and information we needed as first-time home buyers. As someone who's very data-driven, I loved the reports from Naoko regarding the local real estate market insights and trends. After a sudden life change, we ended up having to move to the Sacramento area. We enjoyed working with Naoko so much that we asked if she'd be willing to continue representing us as we were looking to build a new construction home. Naoko agreed and made the drive up to help us navigate the process. With Naoko's representation, we felt more confident when speaking and negotiating with the builders to get the best possible pricing and options. I highly recommend Naoko for any real estate needs, whether it is an existing property or new construction!"
"Naoko did an amazing job helping me and my fiancé purchase our first home. We were initially working with Naoko to look for property in the Bay Area. Naoko is very knowledgeable in the real estate realm and provided us with the guidance and information we needed as first-time home buyers. As someone who's very data-driven, I loved the reports from Naoko regarding the local real estate market insights and trends. After a sudden life change, we ended up having to move to the Sacramento area. We enjoyed working with Naoko so much that we asked if she'd be willing to continue representing us as we were looking to build a new construction home. Naoko agreed and made the drive up to help us navigate the process. With Naoko's representation, we felt more confident when speaking and negotiating with the builders to get the best possible pricing and options. I highly recommend Naoko for any real estate needs, whether it is an existing property or new construction!"
Daniel K.
"After bouncing through multiple agents, we closed our first home with Naoko. Naoko was available at all hours, helped us narrow down our offers and guided us through the purchase process. She was helpful and understanding, quick to respond and helped negotiate our terms with the seller after a sticky mortgage situation. I would highly recommend her services to anyone who is in the market."
"After bouncing through multiple agents, we closed our first home with Naoko. Naoko was available at all hours, helped us narrow down our offers and guided us through the purchase process. She was helpful and understanding, quick to respond and helped negotiate our terms with the seller after a sticky mortgage situation. I would highly recommend her services to anyone who is in the market."
J. J.
"Naoko is a wonderful realtor! We bought our first home, and as first-time home buyers, we had many questions and a lot of anxiety. Naoko was always available to us whenever we had any concerns and was able to settle a lot of our anxiety, she set us up with a great lender, she helped us with negotiating our offer, and she even was able to give us contacts of businesses that she had experiences with to help us with renovations! Naoko is such a great resource for anything home-related. She is an excellent networker and really has fantastic interpersonal skills. Her relationships with her clients really mean a lot to her, and she really cares. I cannot say enough positive things about Naoko. Thank you so much for everything and for being available even more than a year after we bought our home!"
"Naoko is a wonderful realtor! We bought our first home, and as first-time home buyers, we had many questions and a lot of anxiety. Naoko was always available to us whenever we had any concerns and was able to settle a lot of our anxiety, she set us up with a great lender, she helped us with negotiating our offer, and she even was able to give us contacts of businesses that she had experiences with to help us with renovations! Naoko is such a great resource for anything home-related. She is an excellent networker and really has fantastic interpersonal skills. Her relationships with her clients really mean a lot to her, and she really cares. I cannot say enough positive things about Naoko. Thank you so much for everything and for being available even more than a year after we bought our home!"
Kasia
"I purchased a house with Naoko. The process required so much communication, and she always responded promptly. Naoko is a realtor who is kind, helpful, and knowledgeable. Highly recommended!"
"I purchased a house with Naoko. The process required so much communication, and she always responded promptly. Naoko is a realtor who is kind, helpful, and knowledgeable. Highly recommended!"
Mi K.
"I was trying to find a property before the interest rates went up, and the market was just crazy. Naoko was able to find an unlisted property that met our criteria and negotiate with the seller to accept our offer. I would recommend Naoko as she works with us rather than other agents who suggest higher offers."
"I was trying to find a property before the interest rates went up, and the market was just crazy. Naoko was able to find an unlisted property that met our criteria and negotiate with the seller to accept our offer. I would recommend Naoko as she works with us rather than other agents who suggest higher offers."
Tomogane M.
"Naoko was the best! She helped us buy our first home. She was very good at explaining exactly what was happening in the market and how we needed to proceed. She was great at negotiating prices and knowing how much we should pay. Highly recommend!"
"Naoko was the best! She helped us buy our first home. She was very good at explaining exactly what was happening in the market and how we needed to proceed. She was great at negotiating prices and knowing how much we should pay. Highly recommend!"
Byron D.

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