First-Time Homebuyer in Seattle? Here Are Our Secrets To Buying a House

Our absolute favorite clients to work with are first-time home buyers! There’s nothing better than handing keys to someone who purchased their dream home and just accomplished a huge life milestone. There’s a lot to consider when it comes to buying a home for the first time and I’m here to walk you through every step of the process!

The first thing you need to know is this:

Your lifestyle has a huge impact on the TYPE of home you buy, and WHERE you buy it. 

Before you are able to determine what type of home (condo, townhome, or single-family home) you’ll buy, you’ll need to figure out what you want your life to look like. Buying a home is not just a financial decision—it is also an emotional one. 

Do you want to live in the heart of the city where the action is? Do you like going out on the weekends and hitting up happy hours with your friends? Do you envision having parties on the rooftop deck of your condo building? Then a downtown condo might be perfect! Or maybe, you enjoy these things, but are cool with taking an Uber to and from your townhouse on nights out. 

On the other hand, maybe you’re getting ready to start a family, or you want a yard for your dogs, and you actually need more space. Then you might need to move out of the city a bit where you can find more affordable space for your first home. 

It all depends on your lifestyle. Most cities have condos (aka more density) at their core. As you move further from the core, you’ll find more townhomes, and then more single-family homes. Many of my first-time buyers have actually ended up buying in Snohomish County (just north of King County) in cities like Lynnwood, Snohomish, and Everett. They knew they needed a single-family home, but were not able to afford one in Seattle, so they had to head further away from the core of the city. However, due to recent light rail extensions into North Seattle and Snohomish county, commuting has become quicker and more convenient for workers who do a hybrid schedule or only need to be in the office x amount of days per month. 

And, the second thing you need to know is this:

Sometimes finding the right first home can take awhile, and it is truly never too early to reach out to a real estate agent.  

You don’t have to wait until you know everything about buying your first home to reach out to a real estate agent or lender. You also don’t need to wait until you have down payment money saved up! Connecting with an agent can help put you on the right path. They can help you figure out your ideal price point, share potential loan options, give you info on the type of home and neighborhood that might be best, and so much more. 

Your agent is there to help you explore your options, and to help you avoid making mistakes. 

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Be sure to check out my blog “Financing Options You Need to Know About As a First-Time Home Buyer in Seattle,” too!

If you are a first-time home buyer, I’m here to answer any questions you might have. Whether you’re planning to buy a home in 2023 (or even sometime further out!), I’m happy to help. You can get in touch with me here.