Buying a Home in Bellevue, WA - First Steps

Will 2016 be the year?

My name is Marie Haydock and I’m a Real Estate Broker that specializes in working with first time home buyers in Bellevue, WA and the surrounding communities.  Have you been thinking about buying a home in Bellevue, WA or a nearby town? Will 2016 be the year for you?  It's an exciting time to invest in real estate on the Eastside!  

If this is your first home purchase, then you’ll want to work with a Real Estate Broker that has a deep analytical understanding of the real estate market, has experience with all types of home purchases from new construction to estate sales, short sales, and foreclosures, and can help you navigate through the myriad of different loan programs on the market today. Buying a home can be daunting, so I wanted to offer three simple steps that will set you on the right path to home ownership.

 Your First 3 Steps to Buying a Home …

1. How much home can I afford? It’s important for you to first decide how much of your monthly income you’re comfortable devoting to your home. Once you have that amount in mind, then you can work your way up and determine what the price of the home will be based on the monthly mortgage expenses. The monthly mortgage expenses can include payment on the principle of your loan, the interest of your loan, property taxes, and mortgage insurance. That’s a lot of numbers to crunch! A good mortgage calculator is helpful for this. Not many of the mortgage calculators available online are very accurate, but there is one that I recommend to my clients. You can find it at www.mortgagecalculator.org. Play around with that and then you’ll have a much better idea of what the price range is for the home you can buy. Disregard the ads on the site, though, and just use the free tool. You’ll always want to start with the financials first, before moving on to the wish list of home features.

2. What can I get for the money? The next step will be lots of fun! Armed with your newfound home buying price range, take a look at what’s available on the market. This is when you can express yourself and be creative. Think about home features and locations that you like. My real estate website, www.BellevuePropertiesForSale.com is a fantastic resource because it gives you access to ALL the homes listed by the MLS, and is updated in real time. No outdated information, and a direct feed of full market inventory. Not many real estate websites can say that. Go online and set up a user profile for yourself, so you can search at your leisure. The set-up is secure, free, and easy to do. You can even set up listing alerts so that you get an email automatically when homes that meet your criteria come on the market. Listing alerts are a great way for you to educate yourself on the current real estate market. Once you begin looking for a home in earnest, you’ll be armed with much better understanding of what to expect after you’ve been researching online for a while.

3. I have questions. Now what? Questions are great! It means you’re serious and the more you think and ask, the more likely you will make a great financial and emotional investment for yourself with real estate. I know that buying a home takes time, from the moment you first start thinking about it until the day you’re handed the keys. I consider my clients to be clients for life, so know that you can always reach out to me directly with questions, and there’s never any pressure. I’m here to help.

If 2016 is going to be your year, congratulations! It’s an exciting time to buy a home. Feel free to contact me anytime if you have questions about buying a home in Bellevue, WA or about home loans or the home buying process.

Search for homes for sale in Bellevue, WA by clicking here.

Why buy with us?

Unmatched Representation in Your Quest for the Very Best

Tap our vast market knowledge and extensive connections to deliver you the best homes in sought-after neighborhoods in Bellevue, WA.

Call 425-495-0394 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. now.