Leave a Message

Thank you for your message. I will be in touch with you shortly.

A Step-by-Step First Time Buyer's Guide

Buying a home is one of the most exciting milestones of your life. To prepare yourself for this moment, you need to know what to expect during the process. This step-by-step first time buyer’s guide created by your agent will help reduce the stress of buying a home and help you enjoy the journey as much as possible.

main

Step 1: Research

Do you already know where you want to buy? If you want a condo, townhome, or single-family home? Which features do you like and dislike? What’s available on the market now? If you answered no to any of these questions, now is the time to start researching. In addition to looking for homes that interest you, also take note of any changes in asking prices. This could give you valuable insight into housing trends in specific neighborhoods and help you when the time comes to make an offer.

main

Step 2: Decide on Your Budget

Notice I said to decide on your budget—not determine how much the mortgage company will give you. In many cases, a mortgage company will pre-approve you for more than you’re comfortable spending, which is why you need to determine the monthly payment you feel comfortable with before talking to a lender. This likely includes doing a full household budget and taking into consideration what changes other than a mortgage payment will occur once you move into your new home. If you’ve lived in an apartment or with roommates, you may overlook new expenses like garbage, water, or HOA fees that could easily blow your budget.

main

Step 3: Get Prequalified

Just because you think you can afford a certain payment every month doesn’t mean the mortgage company will agree. Just as they may approve you for too large of an amount, they may also approve you for a lesser amount or deny you a mortgage altogether. Lack of time at a job, insufficient credit, past bankruptcies, or other financial issues can cause major problems when trying to secure a mortgage. Before you get your heart set on a home, talk to a mortgage professional to find out what amount you can qualify for. This will also be an advantage when you make an offer on a home, as some sellers won’t entertain offers from those who aren’t already prequalified for a loan.

main

Step 4: Choose a Real Estate Agent

Can you shop for, look at, and ultimately make an offer on a home without a Real Estate Agent? Technically yes, but why would you when it costs you nothing for an agent like me to take much of the stress off your shoulders? Not only will I help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but I also have a knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, this is where my expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play. Let me show you around some homes that meet your dream home criteria so you can find the one that's right for you.

My goal is to provide you with the most personalized service that is designed to help you buy your dream home

main

Step 5: Find the Right Home

This should be the most enjoyable step of the entire process (other than moving in!). I will arrange showings of homes you’re interested in that are within your price range. Take notes about what you like and don’t like, and make sure to pay attention to details. Turn light switches on and off, open and close doors, and run the faucets in various rooms. Don’t limit your inspection to the home itself. Make sure to take time to explore the neighborhood and keep an eye on traffic at certain times of the day, the parking situation, and how close it is to necessities like schools and grocery stores.

main

Step 6: Make an Offer

Once you have selected the perfect home, work with your agent to craft a fair offer based on the value of comparable homes on the market. Depending on what the home is listed at and whether the current environment is a buyer’s or seller’s market, your offer may be below, at, or even above the asking price. I will be able to help you negotiate if you receive a counteroffer and reach an agreement. At this point, the house will go into escrow.

main

Step 7: Have the Home Inspected

In most cases, your offer will be contingent on having the home inspected to ensure there is no major structural damage or large repairs needed. I can help you arrange this, and you can schedule it within days of making an offer. If there are no major issues, the process goes to step eight. If there is, you can renegotiate your offer based on what needs to be fixed, or you can withdraw it.

main

Step 8: Select Your Loan

Now is the time to go back to the mortgage lender who pre-approved or pre-qualified you and choose your mortgage. You will be presented with various options based on your unique financial situation, including fixed-rate, variable-rate, 15-year, 30-year, or special programs such as VA loans or FHA loans. Work with your mortgage lender to select the option you feel the most comfortable with.

main

Step 9: Get a Home Appraisal

Your lender will have your new home appraised so they have their independent value of it. The appraisal is to ensure that all parties involved are paying a fair price for the house.

main

Step 10: Finish Paperwork

No one looks forward to all the paperwork involved in buying a home, but it’s a necessary part of the process. Fortunately, everything will be arranged by your lender and title company and, when you’re finished, you’ll know you are the legal owner of your new home.

Congratulations!

After signing the final paperwork to complete the purchase, you are now the owner of a new house. It may take a few days for your loan to be funded once the paperwork has been returned to the lender, but once that check is delivered to the seller, you’ll be all set to move into the home of your dreams.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Never having sold a house and being challenged with technology, I found Michelle to be a delight. In addition to all of her excellent skills, she was very responsive, an excellent communicator, and someone who listened and exceeded my expectations.

— Donovan M.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Ed and I had the pleasure of working with Michelle Sparks while purchasing a home in Gainesville. She was very professional and communicative during our home purchase, and even after the closing, she was extremely helpful with contractor recommendations. Throughout the purchasing process, she was very attentive and made the house purchase so easy and seamless. Thank you Michelle and we will keep you in m...

— Carlyn K.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Michelle was great in helping me sell my home. Her expertise in walking me through the process was instrumental in the sale. From the listing price through the negotiation and closing she was great. I highly recommend her.

— Barton J.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

If you looked for the definition of excellence you would find a picture of Michelle Sparks. Our experience with her as our Realtor for these past months has been nothing less than excellent. She is someone who listened to our needs and anticipated those needs as she searched for a home base for us. We thank her for all her knowledge, assistance, and going beyond. We strongly recommend her for all real es...

— J. Perez

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

My husband and I called a number listed on a Zillow site one cold, damp January morning after riding by a home that we loved. We decided we wanted to see it and were hoping to get in that weekend to take a peak. Little did we know that the person who answered that call would become such a tremendous part of our lives. That person was Michelle. If you are looking for a realtor who is not only knowledgeabl...

— Buyer

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Michelle Sparks was our realtor, and we couldn’t have been happier in the search for our home in Lake Lanier. She was very accommodating in our long-distance search, going to properties and face-timing us so we didn’t have to fly up each time we saw a property that might work. She understood what we were looking for and didn’t waste our time looking at properties that were not the right fit. Her knowledg...

— Donna R.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Michelle Sparks of the Norton Agency was very helpful in the sale of my home in Cumming and the purchase of my new home in Gainesville. I would highly recommend her. She was very good at communicating with me and helping me through the process of negotiating sale and purchase prices, the home inspection process, and answering any questions I had.

— Brenda R.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Michelle Sparks is an amazing realtor! She and her team were able to meet all our needs and we sold our home within one month of turning it over to them! I highly recommend Michelle and her team- Michelle is a woman of integrity and I can say that I truly trust her.

— T. Comeaux

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Michelle Sparks is the most amazing agent I have ever had the privilege of working with. Gone are the days of realtor caravans but networking is still vital, and Network She did. She understands the importance of properly showcasing a home for showings as well as digital viewing. From the beginning, Michelle’s goal was to present my home in the best possible light to potential buyers as well as fellow re...

— N. Georgiagal

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Michelle Sparks was my selling agent for my home in Gainesville GA. She is now a friend and my Forever Realtor. Mrs. Sparks is an amazing woman and a spectacular agent. She communicated with me throughout the process, and gently guided me with choices that resulted in a full-price offer on our home within weeks. Michelle staged and virtually staged my home, had amazing photographs presented to show the p...

— T. Pitts

Work With Michelle

With extensive knowledge of the Lake Lanier real estate market, Michelle helps her clients find their dream lakefront home or successfully sell their property for top dollar.