Preparing to Buy a Home: Where to Start and Why It Matters.
Buying a home is exciting — and it can also feel overwhelming if you don’t know where to begin. That’s especially true in established, high-demand neighborhoods where preparation and clarity matter more than speed.
Whether you’re starting to explore areas like Golden or Applewood, or simply thinking ahead, a little planning upfront can make the entire process smoother, more confident, and far less stressful.
Start with a Conversation with a Lender
Before touring homes or falling in love with a space, it’s important to talk with a lender early on. This initial conversation isn’t about committing to a loan — it’s about understanding your numbers. We will shop lenders later, but for now, you need clarity on your buying power.
A lender can help you:
Get a realistic sense of your buying power
Understand monthly payment ranges
Identify whether anything needs to be cleaned up on your credit
Flag items that could improve your position before buying
While casual browsing and open houses can happen earlier, it’s best to begin serious home shopping once you have a formal pre-approval letter from a lender. Pre-approval strengthens your position, clarifies your budget, and allows you to move confidently — especially in competitive situations.
Go to Open Houses — Together
Before getting serious, I strongly encourage buyers to visit a few open houses — especially if you’re purchasing with a partner.
This step is about more than seeing homes. It helps you:
Clarify what you’re drawn to (and what you’re not)
Identify deal-breakers early
Discover where you and your partner agree — and where you don’t
These conversations are incredibly valuable. It’s far better to have them early, in a low-pressure setting, than later when you’re feeling rushed or emotionally invested in a highly competitive home. Understanding your shared boundaries upfront makes decision-making much clearer when the stakes are higher.
Define Your Must-Haves and Would-Be-Nice List
Every successful home purchase starts with clarity.
Creating two lists — must-haves and would-be-nice features — keeps the process grounded and focused. Must-haves typically include things that can’t be changed later, such as location, lot size, or overall layout. Would-be-nice features are things you’d love, but can live without.
This exercise helps buyers stay aligned with what truly matters and avoid getting distracted by homes that look great online but don’t actually fit their lifestyle.
Choose the Right Real Estate Agent
Your agent plays a critical role in the buying process, so it’s worth taking the time to choose thoughtfully.
You can:
Interview agents directly
Ask for referrals from people you trust — and still interview them
Early on, a strong buyer’s agent will:
Set you up on a targeted home search
Help refine your criteria and priorities
Connect you with reputable lenders so you can compare options
Help determine where, what, and how much makes sense
It’s important to know that this is just the preliminary view of how an agent supports you. Once you’re under contract, your agent’s role expands significantly — managing dates and deadlines, coordinating inspections and negotiations, navigating unexpected hurdles, and guiding you all the way through closing. The right agent brings structure, strategy, and calm when the process becomes more complex.
Be Mindful of Your Finances During the Process
Once you’re preparing to buy, it’s important to keep your financial picture steady.
Try to avoid:
Making large purchases
Opening new lines of credit
Moving significant sums of money between accounts
Even well-intentioned changes can impact your credit or cash on hand in ways that complicate financing. When in doubt, it’s always best to ask first.
A Few Additional Tidbits Before You Begin
There are a handful of things I like buyers to know early on — not to complicate the process, but to make it more enjoyable and productive from the start.
Start When You Have the Time and Bandwidth
Buying a home benefits from momentum. Starting, stopping, and restarting due to travel, work, or life interruptions can quickly make the process feel exhausting and frustrating.
It’s far more effective — and far more enjoyable — to begin when you have the time and mental space to engage consistently.
Very Few Homes Check Every Box
Occasionally, a home comes along that meets every single criterion — and when it does, that’s wonderful. But it’s rare.
That’s why it’s important to focus on the unchangeable elements: location, lot size, neighborhood feel, and overall layout. If those align, cosmetic updates or minor compromises are often much easier to navigate.
Be Clear — and Reasonable — About What’s Possible
I have complete confidence in helping buyers find the right home when expectations align with market realities. What I can’t do is create something that doesn’t exist — for example, a $400,000, 4,000-square-foot new build in Applewood.
Realistic expectations don’t limit your options — they help narrow the focus to homes that truly make sense.
No Apologies in House Hunting
You never have to apologize for not liking a house. It could be the most beautiful home I’ve ever seen — and it still doesn’t matter if it doesn’t feel right to you. If you don’t like it, we move on.
The buyers who end up happiest are usually the ones with a clear, honed list who know what they won’t compromise on. That clarity leads to better decisions — and greater satisfaction in the end.
Trust the Process
Once the upfront work is done — lender conversations, clear priorities, realistic expectations — the search becomes far more efficient. We’re no longer reacting to everything that hits the market; we’re filtering intentionally. That’s when buying a home feels calmer, clearer, and far more enjoyable.
Thinking About Buying a Home?
If you’re beginning to think about buying — whether now or further down the road — I’m always happy to help you put together a clear, thoughtful plan for preparation, priorities, and next steps. That kind of planning matters everywhere, but it’s especially important in established neighborhoods like my home base of Applewood, where nuance, timing, and expectations really count.
When you’re ready, let’s connect and talk through what preparation could look like for you.