What does your LIFE need from a home?
Most first-time buyers confuse what they need with what they like. That confusion is what makes house hunting feel impossible. Let's sort it out before you ever walk through a front door.
"A need is something you can't compromise on, like having three bedrooms because your kids share now, but won't later. A want is something nice, like a fireplace or hardwood floors. Sort these honestly, even if it stings. The honesty you give me here saves us months down the road."
Must Have
Like to Have
Don't Care
The number that doesn't lie.
The bank tells you what you can borrow. That's not the same as what you can afford. Let's figure out the number that lets you LIVE, not just close.
"Three honest numbers tell us almost everything: 1) what comes in, 2) what's already going out, 3) what you've saved. Move the sliders below. I'll show you what a comfortable monthly payment looks like — and what stretched too thin looks like too."
What's your target home price?
Set a price you're aiming for. We'll show you exactly what that home would cost every month — and whether it fits within your comfort zone.
Walk through a house,
not a checklist.
We'll explore a home room by room. In each room, you'll see common features you might find there — react to each one with Love it, Nice, or Doesn't matter. By the end, we'll know what you actually want.
"Here's how this works: in each room, I'll show you a sketch of the space to set the scene, then list three or four features commonly found in that room. For each one, tell me if you'd love it, would think it's nice, or honestly doesn't matter. Each feature has a short explanation — first-time buyers don't always know what 'soaking tub' or 'walk-in closet' actually means, and that's fine. Read, react, move on."
Here's what you want.
Based on how you reacted in each room, here's what you actually want in a home — and how I'd advise you to use this list when we start looking.
Sit down with your agent.
You've got the needs, the wants, and the numbers. Now we strategize. Six questions — about how you want to play this. There are no wrong answers, just different paths through what comes next.
"Most buyers think the agent meeting is about getting more information. It's not. It's about getting aligned — figuring out together how aggressive, how flexible, how fast we want to play this. Your answers shape my advice."
Here's the plan.
Based on everything we've talked through, here's how we'll approach the search together. This is your strategy — it'll shape every home we look at next.
Three houses.
One real decision.
I've curated three homes that match your profile in different ways. Tour each one, score them against your criteria, and we'll talk through them together. This is where everything you've built comes together.
The numbers are in.
Now we write it.
You've done the work — the wants, the budget, the strategy, the homes. Now we put it on paper. We'll build your offer together, one decision at a time. Every choice you make here is informed by every choice you've made before.
Which home are we writing on?
Pick the home you want to make an offer on. This is the moment of commitment — once you choose, we build the offer together.
Writing the offer on
The finished offer.
You're ready.
You walked in saying you wanted to buy a home. You're walking out with a plan. Your wish list, your budget, your strategy, the homes you scored, the offer you wrote — it's all here.
Your Buyer Profile.
Everything you built in this course — compiled into one polished document you can bring to your real agent, lender, or partner. This is the work no first-time buyer usually has done.
What to do next.
Take your budget numbers to a lender. They'll tell you what you actually qualify for. Many will pre-approve you in 24-48 hours.
Look for a buyer's agent who works in your market. Share your Buyer Profile — they'll know within minutes that you're a serious, prepared buyer.
Bring your wish list to every showing. Use the loved/nice/doesn't-matter framework to score real homes. Trust your work.