Your Home Buying Roadmap

This is where it all starts. Your credit score is one of the three things lenders care about most. They call them the "Three C's": Credit, Collateral, and Capacity. Before you do anything else, you need to know where you stand.

Good news: checking your credit is free. Head to AnnualCreditReport.com (the federally authorized site) to pull your reports from all three bureaus. You can also use Credit Karma or your bank's free tools to get a quick snapshot.

This is the most important step before we start looking at homes. A pre-approval letter tells sellers you are serious and financially qualified. In our market, most sellers will not even look at an offer without one.

You will provide your lender with pay stubs, W-2s, tax returns, and bank statements. They will run your credit, review your finances, and tell you exactly what you qualify for, including your estimated monthly payment and closing costs.

This gives you a clear picture of your budget so we are looking at the right homes from day one. No surprises, no wasted time.

This is where a lot of people get tripped up, so let me make it simple. You will need money for two things: a down payment and closing costs.

Down payment depends on your loan type. Conventional loans typically require 5 to 20% down, FHA is as low as 3.5%, and VA loans can be zero down. There are also down payment assistance programs available in Oregon that many buyers don't know about.

Closing costs generally run 2 to 5% of the purchase price. These include lender fees, appraisal costs, and title insurance, as well as prepaid items like property taxes, homeowner's insurance, and prepaid interest. Your lender will give you a detailed estimate early in the process so there are no surprises at the closing table.

Portland and the surrounding communities each have their own feel, price point, and lifestyle. Whether you are looking at a craftsman bungalow in inner SE Portland, a mid-century ranch in Lake Oswego, or a new build in Happy Valley, it is worth thinking about what matters most to you: commute time, school quality, walkability, outdoor access, community vibe, whatever it is.

I will help you narrow things down based on your priorities and budget. We will build a list of "must-haves" and "nice-to-haves" and a separate list of deal-breakers. This saves a ton of time and keeps us focused on homes that actually make sense for you.

This is the fun part. I search for properties daily and will send you listings that match what you are looking for. You will also have access to my home search tools on sellingpdxhomes.com to browse listings on your own anytime, covering every city across the Portland metro.

When something catches your eye, let me know and I will get us a showing, usually within 8 to 24 hours. I will also keep an eye on coming soon and pocket listings that might not be publicly visible yet.

When we are out looking at homes, I will point out things you might miss, both good and bad. But I also want you to trust your gut. Walk through slowly, open cabinets, test faucets, look at the ceiling for water stains, check the basement. This is potentially your biggest investment; take your time.

Bring your phone and take photos and notes at every house. After three or four showings, they start to blur together. Notes help you compare later when you are making decisions.

When you find the right home, it is go time. I will pull comparable sales, research the property's history, and call the listing agent to get a read on the seller's situation. Then we will put together a competitive offer based on real data, not guesswork.

Your offer includes the price, contingencies, your preferred closing date, and any other terms. I will walk you through every line so you understand exactly what you are agreeing to before we submit.

Once all parties have agreed to terms and the contract is fully signed, you will need to deliver your earnest money deposit, typically 1 to 3% of the purchase price, within 3 business days of mutual acceptance. This deposit shows the seller you are serious and committed to the purchase.

The earnest money is held in an escrow account by the title company, not the seller. It is not extra money on top of your down payment. It gets applied toward your down payment and closing costs at closing. Think of it as a portion of your funds that gets set aside early to demonstrate good faith.

If the deal falls through for a reason covered by your contingencies (like a failed inspection or appraisal issue), you typically get your earnest money back in full. If you simply walk away without a valid contractual reason, the seller may be entitled to keep it.

Once we are under contract, the seller is required to provide you with a set of property disclosures. These are documents where the seller shares what they know about the condition of the home: past repairs, known issues, water damage history, lead-based paint (for homes built before 1978), and more.

In Oregon, the seller fills out a Seller's Property Disclosure Statement that covers the structure, systems, and history of the home. It is important that you read this carefully. It can reveal things that are not visible during a walkthrough.

If the home is part of an HOA (Homeowners Association), you will also receive HOA disclosures including the CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions), financial statements, meeting minutes, rules, and monthly dues. This tells you exactly what you are agreeing to live with, from pet policies to exterior paint colors to upcoming special assessments.

There may be additional disclosures depending on the property, such as natural hazard reports, septic disclosures, or well water reports.

You will typically have about 10 business days for inspections after your offer is accepted. I always recommend a general home inspection at minimum. This is your chance to know exactly what you are buying.

We want to schedule inspections as early as possible. Here is why: if the general inspection uncovers something that needs a closer look, a roof issue, an electrical concern, a foundation question, we need time to schedule follow-up inspections with specialists or get quotes for the work. Those extra appointments take time to coordinate, and the inspection deadline does not move. Getting started early gives us the breathing room we need to make informed decisions without feeling rushed.

In the Pacific Northwest, there are some specific things we pay extra attention to: sewer lines (older homes especially), radon levels, potential buried oil tanks, and mold due to our wet climate. I will help you decide which inspections make sense based on the property and its location.

After inspections, we will review the report together and decide how to respond. We can request repairs, ask for a credit, renegotiate the price, or move forward as-is.

Once inspections clear, your lender orders an appraisal to confirm the home's value supports the loan amount. This is the lender protecting their investment (and yours). The appraiser is randomly assigned, and no one gets to pick who does it.

Three things can happen: the appraisal comes in at or above your offer price (great, we move forward), it comes in low (we negotiate with the seller or you bring extra cash to the table), or it is contingent on repairs (less common, but manageable).

While the appraisal is happening, your lender is finalizing your loan. They will issue a "clear to close" once everything checks out.

This is the day you have been working toward. Before closing, we will do a final walkthrough of the home to make sure everything is in the condition it was when you made your offer and any agreed-upon repairs have been completed.

At closing, you will sign your loan documents, the lender wires the funds, and the title company records the transfer. Then I hand you the keys, usually by the afternoon.

The typical timeline from accepted offer to closing is 30 to 45 days, though it can be faster or slower depending on your situation.

You have got the keys. Now it is time to make this house your home. There is a lot to coordinate in the days around your move, so here is a checklist to keep things organized and make sure nothing slips through the cracks.