Kelly Knight

Ask anyone you meet and they'll likely recall vivid details about their first roller coaster ride, their first day of school, or their first kiss. A first home purchase is no different! While buying your first home comes with its fair share of ups and downs, it will ultimately be an enjoyable experience you'll remember for years to come. Stage 1: Elation -- You've checked your budget and the numbers all line up. You can now buy your first home! While you're busy pinning home decor ideas to your Pinterest board, taking a peek at homes for sale in your favorite neighborhoods, and uncorking the champagne, you're grinning from ear to ear. In no time, you'll be stepping over the threshold of a home you can call yours. Stage 2: Apprehension -- Unfortunately, there's a lot of research involved with buying a home; something you've realized very quickly. You feel like you're drowning in the vast sea of available homes, being crushed under the weight of your mounting to-do list, and losing your way down the rabbit hole of home buying tips and topics. Buying your first home is a bit more overwhelming than you thought! But don't worry. Once you've chosen a lender, gotten pre-approved for a loan, and found an experienced real estate agent, both of your trusted guides are there to help you with all the details. Stage 3: Giddiness -- With help from your awesome real estate agent, you've checked off all the items on your to-do list and have arrived at the fun stage: the house hunt! You feel like a little kid unwrapping a present when you see all those homes (in your price range!) with cool features like swimming pools, grassy yards, community amenities, and dreamy kitchens. Any one of these properties could potentially be your next home! Armed with a pen, notepad, and your phones camera, you're ready to explore your favorite homes and take note of what you liked. In one of the most emotional stages of the first-time home buying process, it's hard not to fall in love with every home you visit! Stage 4: Panic -- Maybe the home you liked was sold before you could make an offer. Maybe you've taken a tour of ten listings and haven't found the one. Maybe you realized you can't afford your ideal home in the location you prefer. A million doubts start running through your mind: What if I miss out on my dream home? What if I can't find the home I need? Will I have to settle for something beyond my budget? What if I won't be able to buy my first home?! But luckily, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Your real estate agent is here to provide you with an objective view of the situation, ease your fears, and work tirelessly to find you the right home. Stage 5: Bliss -- Your real estate agent found a brand new listing for you and it's a home you adore. And just like that, you've taken a tour, made an offer, and breezed through due diligence. You've just bought your first home! Sure, it might not have all the fancy tech and high-end features like in HGTV's dream home, but it has everything you need. And now it's yours. Congratulations, new homeowner! We'll Minimize the Headaches -- Whether you're buying your first home or your fifth, the home buying process can come with its share of ups and downs. But we're here to take the stress out of the whole process! Let's chat about your plans, and we'll help you discover the home you've been looking for quickly and easily.

You've got to start somewhere when preparing your home to sell, but it's not where you would think. Before jumping right into cleaning, de-cluttering, staging, and marketing, take some time to review. Having a solid understanding of the real estate market and the home selling process is essential for a smooth and stress-free sale. So let's get to it. 1. Know What's Happening in the Real Estate Market -- Are homes in your community flying off the market in just a couple of days? Are properties selling over asking price again and again? What have homes like yours recently sold for? Knowing about current market conditions will give you an idea of how quickly your home is likely to sell, as well as how high a price you're likely to receive. Ask us for a Neighborhood Sales Report for an inside look at market activity! 2. Find Out How Much Your Home is Worth -- You've probably asked yourself "what's my home worth?"a dozen times over the past few years. Now is your chance to learn the answer! When we're determining how much homes are worth, we don't just pull a number out of thin air. Home buyers are the ones who determine what properties are worth, so we take a look at current market activity (which you've already done!) to see how much buyers are willing to pay for homes like yours. At the end of all of our research, we have a detailed report of what your home is worth, which in the real estate industry is called a "comparative market analysis".Call us and we'll provide one for your home! 3. Wait Before Making Drastic Home Improvements -- Before you decide to shell out thousands of dollars to completely gut your kitchen and bathrooms, talk with a real estate agent who's familiar with your community and what buyers are looking for in a home like yours. You may be surprised to learn that your potential buyers don't want top-of-the-line appliances, quartz countertops, under-cabinet lighting, or any of those "must-haves" that you see on HGTV. Save yourself the time, money, and headaches and talk with us. We can tell you which home improvements are worth the money and which ones aren’t. Bonus Tip: Find the Right Real Estate Agent -- The best way to save time, money, and unnecessary headaches? Work with a professional. The best real estate agent takes the time to understand your goals, provides you with the resources you need, and tells what to expect when selling your home. Plus, your real estate agent will be there to answer any questions you have at any time in the process.