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Additionally, we also wanted to make a more sound financial decision versus paying rent to a landlord every month, so our search began! Being first time home buyers, not knowing a real estate agent and having no clue where to begin; we did what probably most first time home buyers do, we browsed (Lol)!

• Zillow downloaded, Check.

• Look at and “heart” a bunch of homes that we most likely couldn’t afford, Check!

After sending back and forth to each other a bunch of homes that we liked, we found the one that we absolutely loved!

Ok, now what? We wanted to go see the home we absolutely loved, so we hit the big blue button that said “Get more info” (This is back when Zillow was set up and operated slightly different). We were then advised that an Agent would be contacting us shortly. Ok, well Zillow failed to mention “Agent” was actually plural. A continuous amount of random numbers started blowing up the phone. 

Quick side note on how Zillow works: Local agents pay an advertising fee to Zillow for leads coming from the platform. Back in the day, when a home shopper on Zillow wanted to see a home. Their information was pushed to multiple agents and was a first come first serve basis. Now agents bid their marketing dollars on a percentage of leads generated in each zip code and are distributed individually. 

After talking to the first agent that called us, we quickly set up a time later that evening to go look at the home. At the showing we spent about an hour walking through the home, imagining what updates we would do, and how we would set up the back yard! We were already falling in love with the possibility that this could be our first home! At the end of the showing, the agent asked if we loved the house and if we possibly would want to put in an offer. We glanced at each other and said, “Yes, we think we do!” His following question was, “Ok, great! Are you pre-approved?” Us having no idea what he was talking about could only respond, “Ummm, what’s that?” He then gave us a quick explanation on how it’s basically a letter of approval from a bank or lending institution that confirms you are able to acquire a loan for the purchase of a home, and that you needed one to submit an offer. We thanked him and went on our way to go back to the drawing board. We never talked to that agent again and I don’t remember his name, but whoever you are out there… sorry for wasting an hour of your time!

We then put on our researching caps and searched the web on how to get pre-approved for a loan. Since Ben is a veteran, our natural instinct was to try and get a VA loan… It’s supposed to be one of the best options when using a loan to purchase a home…right?

According to the VA benefits website (https://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/), we discovered that the first step we needed to take was to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility. During that process, we were also referred an agent. Our new agent contacted us and gathered all of our home search criteria, so she could start sending us homes that we might like. She also recommended speaking with a lender if we knew of one. We did, so we reached out to our lender (with our Certificate of eligibility) and started on the process of getting our pre-approval letter!

This whole process took us a couple of weeks, and by the time we had our pre-approval letter. The home we originally fell in love with was already under contract! (This is why I always advise all my client’s that their first step in the home buying process is to talk to a lender! You don’t want to fall in love with a home only to miss an opportunity or discover it’s out of your price range.)

Another quick side note: Although VA loans are great, because they have competitive rates, you are able to purchase with 0% down, and don’t require PMI (private mortgage insurance). However, even though we should have done more research, no one told us about the VA funding fee. This fee can be between 1.4 - 3.6% of the home purchase price. This ended up adding an additional $4,500 to our closing costs! At least you’re allowed to roll that fee into the loan, and that’s what we ended up doing. There are ways to be exempt from this funding fee, mainly having a service connected disability. If you are interested in using a VA loan, you can learn more about it here: https://www.benefits.va.gov/HOMELOANS/documents/docs/VA_Buyers_Guide.pdf 

Now equipped with our pre-approval letter and a list of homes that we wanted to see, we finally felt like we were making progress on the purchase of our first home! Our criteria wasn’t too specific. We wanted at least a three bed and two bath, minimally a half acre yard, we were open to something that needed a little bit of TLC,  and either in the Ragley, Moss Bluff, or Iowa areas. 

Over the next month, we looked at over 20 homes! Nothing we looked at just felt like “The One.” However, that’s where I discovered that I loved viewing homes. It was exciting to see if the pictures actually represented the home, bad or good. I loved examining the layouts and envisioning how I would remodel the floor plan, or even just imagining how I would decorate. 

As we were pulling up to around the 25th home to view. I was already getting the feeling in my stomach that this might be “THE ONE!” It had everything we were looking for and also had a little bit of opportunities for some updates. Which would give us the ability to make it more of our own. I think it was only after 20 minutes of viewing the property that we told our agent, “let’s put in an offer!” 

I never imagined how exciting and nervous I would be when it came to actually deciding on an offer price and submitting it to the sellers! We decided on a price, went over and signed the purchase agreement, and our agent sent it to the listing agent. They had 24 hours to respond and I was so anxious waiting for a response! They finally responded towards the end of the next day, but with a counteroffer. After us sending another counteroffer, the sellers accepted and we now had a executed purchase agreement!

From this point, I learned about the due diligence period, appraisal, insurance, underwriting and title. I really enjoyed the whole process and the learning experience. Then it was closing day! We signed all of the paperwork and were handed the keys to our new home! That was one of the most exciting and overwhelming days of my life. We immediately drove to our new house and took a picture in the front yard, see photo above :)

After we moved in and it was all said and done. We soon started discussing another important life situation, my career. I only worked weekends and was often on call. I hated always missing life events. I wasn’t happy in my career path and it was time for a change. With our home purchase and the whole experience being fresh on our minds, Ben suggested getting into real estate. I was hesitant to the idea at first, but I loved the thought of still being able to help others by guiding them through the same memorable experience I was fortunate enough to just go through. I decided to break out the books and started working on getting my real estate license. Once I was licensed, I said farewell to the healthcare profession and joined a brokerage. With the support of my husband and strong determination, I was ready to excel in my new career! 

Fast forward to present day, I am happy to say we have helped over a hundred families! Along the way, my husband got into real estate investing and also became a realtor. He handles all of my marketing, finances, and tech. Which allows me to focus on the most important part of my job, my clients! I got to a point where I wanted the ability to help more families. Therefore, I decided to bring on an amazing, caring, and hardworking individual to the team, Mary-Kate! As our Sales Director, Mary-Kate is oftentimes the first point of contact for new clients and she also ensures nothing falls through the cracks on my end.

Overall, we have an amazing team that is optimized to go beyond the expectations of our clients! We would love for you to give us the privilege of guiding you through your next memorable home buying/selling experience!