The 15 steps of the home buying process. It's really the 101 of buying a home - from start to finish, tailored to the first time home buyer.

Are you ready to navigate the world of homebuying with confidence? Join us on this information-packed episode as we guide you through the entire process, from getting pre-approved for a loan to finally holding the keys to your dream home.

We talk about the overall home buying process without getting too into the details, so that you can get a good feel of what to expect.

See the full article on our site: The Basics of Buying a Home From Start To Finish

Here are the steps that we'll be going over on this episode:

1. The very first step: you need to find a lender.
2. Get Pre-Approved
3. Find a Realtor
4. Go shopping
5. Make an offer
6. Offer Accepted
7. Initial disclosures
8. Inspections
9. Appraisal
10. Underwriting
11. Closing
12. Down Payment and Closing Costs
13. Funding
14. Recording
15. You are now a homeowner!

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Find all our episodes, articles, newsletter, and resources on our main site: https://FTHBPros.com

Contact Information:
Dat Nguyen – Certified Mortgage Advisor
(714) 331-6289
hello@fthbpros.com

NMLS# 113790

Today we’ll be talking about how to find a good lender and what questions to ask them to make sure they’re a good fit for you.

For each section, we go into detail to help you better understand the process.

Let’s first start by just listing a few of the ways to find a lender:

1. Realtor referral
2. A friend or coworker who recently bought a home
3. An Online Search
4. A referral from an organization

Some questions to ask a potential loan officer:

1. How long have you been working in the industry?
2. What types of loans do you primarily work on?
3. What types of loans do you like working on?
4. What do you like about doing loans?
5. What is your communication style and method, how often will we be talking?
6. I’m really new to this process, do you work with a lot of first time home buyers?
7. Do you have any first time home buyer programs? Any down payment assistance programs?
8. How long are your loans taking to close?
9. What’s the market looking like right now? What should I know?
10. What do you need from me to get started?

Send a text

Find all our episodes, articles, newsletter, and resources on our main site: https://FTHBPros.com

Contact Information:
Dat Nguyen – Certified Mortgage Advisor
(714) 331-6289
hello@fthbpros.com

NMLS# 113790

One of the first steps to home ownership is choosing a real estate agent.

I’d like to go over a few ways you can find an agent, and the types of questions you can ask.

Want to get connected with a vetted agent right away? We’ve partnered with Home&Money to help you get connected quickly and easily. Simply head over to https://homeandmoney.com/fthb/ and fill out the simple form to be connected right away with a qualified agent!

I love working with first time home buyers to help them become more educated in the process, and feel confident with their purchase. I love seeing people go from renting to owning a home and building equity. Some clients buy a starter home, others are buying their forever home. Each person is different and each purchase is unique. That’s also what I love about this, our industry is always changing and staying on top of those trends helps you be a better agent.

View the full blog post about Choosing a Real Estate Agent

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Find all our episodes, articles, newsletter, and resources on our main site: https://FTHBPros.com

Contact Information:
Dat Nguyen – Certified Mortgage Advisor
(714) 331-6289
hello@fthbpros.com

NMLS# 113790

Today we’ll be talking about what is a pre-approval or pre-qualification.

We’ll also talk about what kind of documentation you may need to get that letter.

Let’s start at the beginning, a pre-approval or pre-qualification are both letters that your loan officer will create that states how much of a loan you could be approved for. This letter is used while you are shopping for homes as well as when submitting offers on homes.

See detailed show notes about Pre-Qualifications vs Pre-Approvals and when you need one.

Send a text

Find all our episodes, articles, newsletter, and resources on our main site: https://FTHBPros.com

Contact Information:
Dat Nguyen – Certified Mortgage Advisor
(714) 331-6289
hello@fthbpros.com

NMLS# 113790

Today I’ll be talking about What is a Credit Score, and is Credit Karma Accurate.

See full show notes @ https://fthbpros.com/what-is-a-credit-score-and-is-credit-karma-accurate/

A credit score is a number that represents your creditworthiness. this number is generated from the information in your credit report. the higher your score, the less likely you are to miss payments or default on your loans and obligations.

Credit Karma uses the VantageScore 3.0 model to generate its scores, which is a widely used scoring model for credit monitoring. Because each lender has its own criteria for approving loans, your score on Credit Karma may not perfectly align with the score a lender would use to evaluate your loan application. It's accuracy varies heavily on the type of tradelines on your report, and how long ago they were reported as well as the type of loan you are looking for.

In summary, Credit Karma is a good way to check your credit score and get an idea of where you stand. However, it's not perfect, and your score will be different than what a lender sees. Mortgage lenders usually use FICO Scores, so it's always best to check with them directly to see what they're looking for. You'll need a good credit score to get a favorable interest rate and loan terms on a mortgage, and better credit scores can not only give you better interest rates, but more buying power.

Send a text

Find all our episodes, articles, newsletter, and resources on our main site: https://FTHBPros.com

Contact Information:
Dat Nguyen – Certified Mortgage Advisor
(714) 331-6289
hello@fthbpros.com

NMLS# 113790

Sometimes called the first time home buyers loan, FHA loans are one type of loan that you may come across during your research. We’ll take a closer look at what an FHA loan is and how it might benefit you as a first-time home buyer.

We'll cover the following topics:

• An Introduction to FHA Loans
• What types of FHA loans are there?
• What Are the Benefits of an FHA Loan?
• What additional fees are associated with an FHA loan?
• What are the income and loan limits for an FHA loan?
• What homes are eligible for an FHA loan?
• Are there other loan options with lower down payments than an FHA loan?
• Other types of FHA loans

See full show notes, article, and details @ https://fthbpros.com/what-is-an-fha-loan/

Join Our Facebook Community @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/fthbpros/

An FHA loan is a mortgage that is insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), a government agency that is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). FHA loans are available to all kinds of borrowers, including first-time home buyers with limited credit histories. This type of loan is attractive to first-time home buyers because it has more flexible lending requirements than a conventional mortgage.

Send a text

Find all our episodes, articles, newsletter, and resources on our main site: https://FTHBPros.com

Contact Information:
Dat Nguyen – Certified Mortgage Advisor
(714) 331-6289
hello@fthbpros.com

NMLS# 113790

We're talking about buying distressed homes for less than market value, are they worth it? Raj Sharma brings his knowledge of REO, short sale, and pre-foreclosure homes to the episode, to give you an idea of what these homes are, how to find them, and if they're worth it for a first time home buyer.

Raj is a Southern California real estate agent who is a veteran of the 2008 housing crisis, who has worked with the banks in valuations as well as nearly a hundred buyers of distressed homes over the last 13 years.

If you are looking for alternate ways to buy homes at a discount, or are looking to buy a home to do a full remodel, hit play!

Full Show Notes: https://fthbpros.com/buying-an-reo-or-short-sale-home/

Raj's Contact Info:
DRE LIC# 01507253/01886334
Email: Raj@legacyhomesrealty.com
Phone: (951) 314-4251
Website: LegacyHomesRealty.com

Send a text

Find all our episodes, articles, newsletter, and resources on our main site: https://FTHBPros.com

Contact Information:
Dat Nguyen – Certified Mortgage Advisor
(714) 331-6289
hello@fthbpros.com

NMLS# 113790

Saving up for a down payment on a house can seem like an impossible task but there are ways to make it happen. I give 8 different tactics that can be used and combined together to help you get your down payment in 12-24 months.

See the full article and show notes here: https://fthbpros.com/how-to-save-for-a-down-payment-on-a-house/

Don't let the down payment keep you from getting into a home!

Send a text

Find all our episodes, articles, newsletter, and resources on our main site: https://FTHBPros.com

Contact Information:
Dat Nguyen – Certified Mortgage Advisor
(714) 331-6289
hello@fthbpros.com

NMLS# 113790