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First-time buyers
A plain-English walk through buying your first home in Washington — what it costs, what happens in what order, and the parts nobody warns you about. No jargon, no pressure.
The order it actually happens
Most first-time buyers start by looking at houses. That is step three.
Not to commit — to find out what you can actually borrow and what the monthly payment looks like. It takes a phone call. Doing it first is the difference between shopping and daydreaming, and in a competitive market a pre-approval letter is what makes your offer real.
Nobody tells you: getting pre-approved does not hurt your credit the way people fear, and you can talk to more than one lender within a short window on a single set of inquiries.
Down payment is the big one, but not the only one. Budget for closing costs, an inspection, and the first month of everything. Use the calculator below with a real price and you will see the monthly number immediately.
Nobody tells you: there are loan programmes with far lower down payments than 20%, including options for buyers who have never owned. Ask your lender which you qualify for before assuming you are years away.
Location, size, commute, condition — you will trade at least one of them. Deciding which one before you tour keeps you from falling for a house that fails on the thing you cared about most.
Nobody tells you: the school district, the commute and the lot are permanent. The kitchen is not. Buy the things you cannot change.
We will tell you what is wrong with a house before you fall in love with it: the roof age, the drainage, the siding, the neighbour's project. That is the job.
Nobody tells you: go back at a different time of day. Traffic, noise and light are completely different at 8am than at 2pm on a Sunday.
Price is one lever. Timing, contingencies, the closing date and how the offer is presented are the rest. Seventeen years of doing this is knowing which lever matters to which seller.
Nobody tells you: the highest offer does not always win. Sellers take the offer most likely to actually close.
The inspection will find things — it always does. The question is which are deal-breakers and which are Saturday jobs. We negotiate the first and tell you honestly about the second.
Nobody tells you: do not open new credit or change jobs between offer and closing. Lenders re-check, and it can undo the whole thing.
What will it cost me?
Open the widget in the corner and use the mortgage calculator with a real price. It is arithmetic, not a quote — but it will tell you in ten seconds whether you are looking in the right range.
The honest version: your monthly payment is principal and interest, plus property tax, plus insurance — and if you put down less than 20%, usually mortgage insurance on top. The calculator includes an allowance for tax and insurance so the number you see is closer to what actually leaves your account.
What it cannot tell you is your rate. That depends on your credit, the loan type and the property. That is the lender conversation in step one — and we will introduce you to people we have closed with.
When you're ready to look
No account, no sign-up wall. See what is actually out there in your range.
From people who were exactly here
“My husband and I were first-time home buyers in the crazy market that is the greater Seattle area. Thanks to Bunsong, 2 months later, we are now happy first time home OWNERS! His responsiveness was immediate. In this insane market you need someone to give you a competitive edge. He's a rockstar.”
“My partner and I just bought our first home with the amazing help of Anthony Gladis. Being first time buyers, we were kind of lost. A friend recommended Anthony and the whole house buying thing really turned around. He is incredibly knowledgeable, organized, and responsive.”
No pressure, genuinely
It isn’t. We have answered it 259 times. Tell us roughly where you are and we’ll tell you what the next step actually is — even if that step is “wait six months and save”.
Not ready to talk? Just look at what we have listed.
Let’s talk
No pressure and no obligation — just an honest read on your home’s value, your buying power, or the market you’re moving into. That’s how every one of our 259 closings started.
5.0 from 161 reviews259 homes closed