[email protected]   |   (434) 260-1435
2110 Ivy Road   |   Charlottesville, VA 22903
facebook instagram
Story House Real Estate Story House Real Estate
Navigation
  • ABOUT US
    • Who We Are
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Philanthropy
    • Our Success Stories
      • Client Profiles
      • Client Testimonials
      • Press & Recognition
      • Our Sold Homes
    • Story House Blog
    • Newsletters
    • Join Our Team
  • SELL A HOME
    • How We Sell
    • Seller Profile
  • BUY A HOME
    • Buyer Profile
    • Our 10 Step Process
      • Consult Your REALTOR®
      • Arrange Your Financing
      • Find Your Home
      • Prepare a Purchase Offer
      • Contract for Your Home
      • Conduct Inspections
      • Finalize Your Financing
      • Prepare for Settlement
    • Buyer Profile
    • Our Listings
    • New Listings
    • Search All Active Listings
      • Search by County
      • Charlottesville Area Neighborhoods
  • LET’S CONNECT

Tips for First Time Home Buyers

Being a first-time home buyer is tough. In addition to difficult language that’s sometimes hard to decipher, taking a deep dive into your finances that, in a way, can feel very invasive, and a fluctuating market that ebbs and flows depending on various factors, things can get complicated. If you’re thinking about starting the search to find your first home, browse all of our Tips for First-Time Home Buyers below and start the search off on the right foot!
Improve your Financial Literacy
Buying a home is likely the biggest and most significant financial decision that you will ever make. Though, initially, it can be scary to know you’re tacking on a good amount of debt, the benefits that accompany homeownership are overwhelmingly advantageous. For a first-time buyer, we recommend sharpening your financial literacy in order to best understand the home buying process. Know that there are resources available in the form of classes, webinars, online forums, etc. that will help guide and educate you that will make the choice to pursue homeownership feel less daunting and more like the smart decision that it is! Our agents are well versed in their financial literacy and are always happy to provide you with any and all resources should you wish to strengthen your financial literacy to prep for buying a home.
Get in Touch with a Realtor ASAP
We cannot stress this enough. Working with a Realtor as early as possible is the best way to set yourself up for success. Though we always advocate for our Story House agents, Charlottesville is blessed with talented and hardworking agents who are dedicated to helping all clients find their dream homes. Our agents at Story House will attest to the saying, “it’s never too early to get in touch with us.” Even if you’re a few years out from looking for a home and just want to see where you stand, or you have a short timeline and are looking for something quickly, we would love to help. At Story House, our clients are for life, meaning that before, during, and years and years (and years) after the transaction is complete, we will continue to check in, answer any questions you may have, keep you updated on your homes value, and always be there for any and all real estate needs. Working with Story House means that we hope to delight and surprise you throughout the entirety of our relationship, which, of course, we hope lasts forever.
Work with a Lender Early on 
The earlier, the better! Picture this: you decide you want to buy a home. The first thing you do is plug (what you believe to be) your ideal budget into Zillow and Realtor.com and fawn over all the beautiful houses that you see. Then, after working with a lender, they tell you that your budget is significantly less than what you’ve been browsing online. We don’t want this to happen to you. We want you to fall in love with homes that are only within your price range in order to avoid any heartbreak. We are here for you and know that we can find you a place to call home that checks all of your boxes while also honoring your budget and financial situation. Our agents will get you in touch with a lender who will assess your finances and determine what you can afford.
Time to Save!
Most people know that when you go to buy a house, you will most likely be required to pay a down payment. While lots of online resources will tell you that 20% is the standard, there are programs available today with options as low as 3-5% down to buy a home. No matter if it’s in your plan to save 3% or 20%, we recommend getting a head start by saving early and often. Consider tightening your budget and finding areas where you are able to eliminate some spending. As with most things in the home buying process, the earlier, the better. The sooner you start saving, the easier it will be to account for items associated with the buying process including, but not limited to, the down payment, any inspections, HOA fees, mortgage insurance, and any other general closing costs.
We hope these tips are helpful! We know the process can feel intimidating, which is why we’re by your side every step of the way to help alleviate any anxiety and answer any questions. For more Tips for First-Time Homebuyers, browse the entire First-Time Home Buyers category on our website. Get even more tips and advice by reading our “Where Do I Start?” blog, and educate yourself on these Common Home Buying Myths to stay in the know for when you’re ready to buy.

Posted on July 15, 2022

Categories

  • Achievements & Recognition
  • Affordability & Financing
  • Blog
  • Buying
  • Charlottesville Area
  • Charlottesville News
  • Charlottesville Real Estate
  • Choosing a Realtor
  • City of Charlottesville
  • Client Profiles
  • Client Testimonials
  • Community
  • First Time Homebuyer
  • Historic Charlottesville
  • Home Repair & Maintenance
  • Landscaping & Exterior
  • Lifestyle
  • Market Reports
  • National Real Estate
  • New Construction
  • Our Favorite Things
  • Real Estate 101
  • Real Estate News and Info
  • Selling
  • Short Sale & Foreclosure 101
  • Sold Homes
  • Staging to Sell
  • Uncategorized

Contact Us

    Subscribe to Newsletter
    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

    View

    Mar 27

    Open
    Spring has sprung!! 🌸

Huge props to our sellers for getting everything prepped and ready for what was another busy week of showings, some VERY busy open houses, and the amazing outcome of lots of offers coming in!

Shoutout to our team and their hard work resulting in a grand total of…

💥 4 listings under contract in 5 days
💥 130 open-house attendees
💥 19 total offers
💥 and ALL of the homes going under contract ABOVE listing price!

If you’re looking for a selling experience like this, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team! 📲 (434) 260-1435!

#StoryHouseRE #StoryHouseRealEstate #evidenceofsuccess  #Charlottesvillerealestate #housingmarket #2023housingmarket #realestate #realtor #realestateagent #home #realestatebroker #homebuyers #realestatetips #Charlottesville #realestatemarket #housingmarket #Charlottesvillerealestate #beyourownlandlord
    View

    Mar 24

    Open
    🏡 Featured Listing | 575 David Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 | MLS #638917 | $600,000 | 🛏️ 3 bed 🛁 2.5 bath | 🏘️ Marshall Manor

HIGHLIGHTS:

🌟 Brick colonial home
🌟 Situated on a private 1.09-acre cul-de-sac lot
🌟 Within Albemarle’s Marshall Manor neighborhood (no HOA!)
🌟 Three picturesque wood-burning brick fireplaces
🌟 Gorgeous hardwood floors
🌟 A spacious upstairs primary suite
🌟 A versatile partly-finished walk-out basement
🌟 Perfectly located just minutes from local wineries
🌟 8 minutes from Monticello High School
🌟 10 minutes from 5th Street Station (Wegmans, Alamo, restaurants)
🌟 15 minutes from UVA/the hospital

📩 Email showings@storyhousere.com with any questions and/or interest!

#featuredlisting #Charlottesvillerealestate #StoryHouseRealEstate #StoryHouseRE #startyournextstory #Charlottesville #startyourstorywithus
    View

    Mar 24

    Open
    🎉 We’ve got a super exciting lineup of events coming your way this week!

Between the return of the Charlottesville Ten Miler, Boar’s Head Resort’s third annual Blues, Brews, and BBQ festival, and a variety of fun things going on in and around Charlottesville, it’s going to be a great weekend ahead!

Check them all out above! 👆 👆 

#localevents #Charlottesvilleevents #Charlottesville #local #weekend #weekendevents #storyhouserealestate #storyhousere
    View

    Mar 23

    Open
    JUST LISTED | THREE NEW HOMES 🎈

🏠 3428 Rowcross Street, Crozet, Virginia 22932 | MLS#639742 | $575,000 | 🛏️ 3 bed 🛁 3.5 bath | 🎉 OPEN HOUSE Sunday, March 26th from 1 PM - 3 PM, hosted by Abby!

🏠 175 Agatha Ridge Lane, Crozet, Virginia 22932 | MLS#639652 | $909,000 | 🛏️ 4 bed 🛁 3.5 bath | 🎉 OPEN HOUSE Sunday, March 26th from 12 PM - 2 PM, hosted by Josh!

🏠 2201 Stargate Lane, Charlottesville, Virginia 22911 | MLS#639636 | $375,000 | 🛏️ 3 bed 🛁 2 bath | 🎉 OPEN HOUSE Sunday, March 26th from 12 PM - 2 PM, hosted by Zoya!

📩 Email showings@storyhouseRE.com with questions! Showings begin by appointment on Friday, March 24th.

#justlisted #Charlottesvillerealestate #StoryHouseRealEstate #StoryHouseRE #startyournextstory #Charlottesville #startyourstorywithus #newlisting
    View

    Mar 23

    Open
    🏠 Do you know where to begin when thinking about buying or selling? Our listing partner, Madison, is sharing the first 4 steps!

👉 Reach out to us!

👉 Schedule a walkthrough!

👉 Receive pricing recommendations

👉 The search begins!

Do you have questions about the buying or selling process? Drop them below!

#StoryHouseRE #StoryHouseRealEstate #Buying #Selling #RealEstateCharlottesville #realestate #realtor #realestateagent #realtorlife #dreamhome #realestatelife #charlottesville #cville #charlottesvilleva #movingtoCharlottesville #storyhouse #startyourstory #soldbystoryhouse #yournextchapter
    Story House Real Estate logo
    STORY HOUSE REAL ESTATE
    2110 Ivy Road
    Charlottesville, VA 22903
    Phone: (434) 260-1435
    facebook instagram
    LICENSED TO SELL REAL ESTATE IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
    REALTOR icon Equal Housing icon
    © 2021 Story House Real Estate. All Rights Reserved.