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Buyer's Guide

A Step-by-Step First Time Buyer's Guide

Buying a home is one of the most exciting milestones of your life. To prepare yourself for this moment, you need to know what to expect during the process. This step-by-step first time buyer’s guide created by your agent will help reduce the stress of buying a home and help you enjoy the journey as much as possible.

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Step 1: Research

Do you already know where you want to buy? If you want a condo, townhome, or single-family home? Which features do you like and dislike? What’s available on the market now? If you answered no to any of these questions, now is the time to start researching. In addition to looking for homes that interest you, also take note of any changes in asking prices. This could give you valuable insight into housing trends in specific neighborhoods and help you when the time comes to make an offer.

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Step 2: Decide on Your Budget

Notice I said to decide on your budget—not determine how much the mortgage company will give you. In many cases, a mortgage company will pre-approve you for more than you’re comfortable spending, which is why you need to determine the monthly payment you feel comfortable with before talking to a lender. This likely includes doing a full household budget and taking into consideration what changes other than a mortgage payment will occur once you move into your new home. If you’ve lived in an apartment or with roommates, you may overlook new expenses like garbage, water, or HOA fees that could easily blow your budget.

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Step 3: Get Prequalified

Just because you think you can afford a certain payment every month doesn’t mean the mortgage company will agree. Just as they may approve you for too large of an amount, they may also approve you for a lesser amount or deny you a mortgage altogether. Lack of time at a job, insufficient credit, past bankruptcies, or other financial issues can cause major problems when trying to secure a mortgage. Before you get your heart set on a home, talk to a mortgage professional to find out what amount you can qualify for. This will also be an advantage when you make an offer on a home, as some sellers won’t entertain offers from those who aren’t already prequalified for a loan.

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Step 4: Choose a Real Estate Agent

Can you shop for, look at, and ultimately make an offer on a home without a real estate agent? Technically yes, but why would you when it costs you nothing for an agent like me to take much of the stress off your shoulders? Not only will I help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but I also have a knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, this is where my expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play. Let me show you around some homes that meet your dream home criteria so you can find the one that's right for you.

My goal is to provide you with the most personalized service that is designed to help you buy your dream home

Schedule a Consultation
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Step 5: Find the Right Home

This should be the most enjoyable step of the entire process (other than moving in!). I will arrange showings of homes you’re interested in that are within your price range. Take notes about what you like and don’t like, and make sure to pay attention to details. Turn light switches on and off, open and close doors, and run the faucets in various rooms. Don’t limit your inspection to the home itself. Make sure to take time to explore the neighborhood and keep an eye on traffic at certain times of the day, the parking situation, and how close it is to necessities like schools and grocery stores.

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Step 6: Make an Offer

Once you have selected the perfect home, work with your agent to craft a fair offer based on the value of comparable homes on the market. Depending on what the home is listed at and whether the current environment is a buyer’s or seller’s market, your offer may be below, at, or even above the asking price. I will be able to help you negotiate if you receive a counteroffer and reach an agreement. At this point, the house will go into escrow.

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Step 7: Have the Home Inspected

In most cases, your offer will be contingent on having the home inspected to ensure there is no major structural damage or large repairs needed. I can help you arrange this, and you can schedule it within days of making an offer. If there are no major issues, the process goes to step eight. If there is, you can renegotiate your offer based on what needs to be fixed, or you can withdraw it.

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Step 8: Select Your Loan

Now is the time to go back to the mortgage lender who pre-approved or pre-qualified you and choose your mortgage. You will be presented with various options based on your unique financial situation, including fixed-rate, variable-rate, 15-year, 30-year, or special programs such as VA loans or FHA loans. Work with your mortgage lender to select the option you feel the most comfortable with.

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Step 9: Get a Home Appraisal

Your lender will have your new home appraised so they have their independent value of it. The appraisal is to ensure that all parties involved are paying a fair price for the house.

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Step 10: Finish Paperwork

No one looks forward to all the paperwork involved in buying a home, but it’s a necessary part of the process. Fortunately, everything will be arranged by your lender and title company and, when you’re finished, you’ll know you are the legal owner of your new home.

Congratulations!

After signing the final paperwork to complete the purchase, you are now the owner of a new house. It may take a few days for your loan to be funded once the paperwork has been returned to the lender, but once that check is delivered to the seller, you’ll be all set to move into the home of your dreams.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

If I move up north, I will call you, Brittany, and will refer you to my friends. Congratulations!

— Liz C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany has been a crucial part of my real estate endeavor. Her extensive knowledge and experience have been valuable insight. She is a very nice and respectful person and went above and beyond for me. Working with her has been nothing but a blessing.

— Jacquelin B.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I had a fantastic experience working with Brittany as my real estate agent. Her patience, kindness, and helpfulness stood out throughout the entire process, making it a smooth and enjoyable journey. I highly recommend her to anyone seeking a top-notch real estate professional. Amazing the best!

— Chris G.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany was amazing, and we are so happy we chose her to help us sell our mobile home. Her knowledge and skills guided and comforted us through the entire process. We never felt outside the loop, because Brittany is an excellent communicator and her daily updates were thorough and thoughtful. If you are thinking about selling or purchasing a home, Brittany is the agent for you!

— Seller

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

So I was a bit hesitant in purchasing my first investment property, I had reached out to Brittany as well as other realtors. Brittany made me feel extremely comfortable with the whole process even though I had no idea what I was doing and even found me a cash-flowing property! I feel so comfortable knowing that she will be walking me through every step of the process! I found my realtor for future purcha...

— Kev S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Amazing! Brittany is awesome, extremely helpful, and super patient. Just bought my first home and she helped me understand the ropes and ensured we secured our first house. She made herself available all days of the week and at all times. I was also not having much traction with my bank as a lender and she went above and beyond in helping me secure a responsive lender that also was great in answering all...

— Salvador S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

If you’re looking for a realtor who truly has your best interests in mind, especially as a first-time home buyer, look no further! This was actually my second attempt at looking for a home. My first experience wasn’t an ideal match, so we decided to give Brittany a try. Even at first contact, it was night and day how amazing she was! She takes the time to really get to know your needs or wants for a home...

— Tiffany G.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany made our first home-buying process quick and easy and was there for us every step of the way! She responded whenever we had a question, no matter what time, even when the question should have been directed to someone else. She was in constant communication with the seller, broker, and us to ensure everyone’s needs were met. She provided us with resources from shutters to cleaning companies to ho...

— Donnel Y.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany has made our home search the most pleasant, memorable, and exciting experience we could have asked for. She was incredibly dedicated and focused on making the process smooth and ensuring all our needs were met. We were unique clients as we were not only first-time home buyers but we were looking for a home with lots of land! That meant we would have to travel quite a distance from our current ho...

— Angelica Y.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany Ng was truly exceptional! I met her at an open house in 2019. I was immediately impressed with her level of knowledge, her welcoming energy, and her readiness to take on a new client. It was a no-brainer for me to work with her. Brittany was always available for home tours and her responsiveness was incredible. I honestly don’t think she sleeps! Due to unforeseen personal issues, I took a break ...

— Rese S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

If you are looking for a real estate agent with passion and enthusiasm in Bay Area, I would recommend Brittany.

— Becky W.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

If you're looking for an incredible realtor, look no further than Brittany Ng! I have worked with Brittany on both the buy side and the sell side, and I can say honestly that she has a lifetime client in me. Her communication and hustle is on another level, which is so critical in real estate. She was always available and willing to go to bat for me. Brittany also has extensive regional knowledge of the ...

— Bryan B.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

First-time homebuyers and couldn't be more happy with Brittany! She is so thorough and really listens to what we're looking for. She kept us in the loop throughout the entire time searching for a home as well as throughout the closing process. Highly recommended!

— Chris T.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I had the pleasure of working with Brittany recently on a purchase deal. I was the Lender on the transaction for our mutual client. From start to finish she was very responsive, kind, and a constant professional. All throughout the process Brittany was there quickly handling any issues, without blinking an eye, that had risen. She honestly cares for her clients like they're family and will go to bat for ...

— Steve O.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany did a fantastic job getting our clients into a home on their first offer. She is very personable, takes her time explaining the entire process to the customers and is a great communicator. She is relentless in finding the perfect home for her clients and pays special attention to what they are looking for. Her knowledge of the Bay Area combined with her superior customer service is what makes he...

— Dustin D.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany helped my boyfriend and I buy our first home together so we could begin investing in our future. After 2 years of paying a mortgage's worth in rent in San Francisco we felt it was time to start looking for a home. My boyfriend found Brittany and within the first day was raving about how she was willing to help us as first time home buyers. Before her the few realtors that we did have interaction...

— Nichelle E.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany Ng is an absolute pleasure to work with, she is extremely professional, patient and knowledgeable. As her clients lender for the transaction she kept everyone updated and informed on what was needed for a timely closing. She is the type of agent I look forward to working with, she took all the worry out of the transaction and made it a smooth and easy process the whole way through. If you're luc...

— Christian L.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany was wonderful. When me and my fiance meet her we loved her energy and knowledge of the industry and area. She helped us pick the right house and put offers in. On our second offer we got the house. She helped us from the moment we met and closed only took a month. She knew what she was doing. Plus when she presented us to the buyer they loved her and excepted our offer. They said she prepared be...

— Delon W.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany was phenomenal; She was a great communicator and consummate professional. From the very beginning she showed us that she was invested in helping us find our first home and committed to making the experience as smooth as possible for us. She was candid/honest with us which helped temper expectations, especially in this market. Also, Unsurprisingly, we hit a few snags in our purchasing process, bu...

— Harold G.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

For university admissions, we have guidance counselors. For retirement planning, we have financial advisors. Even for weddings, most people use a planner. Why consider buying a home without a well-connected and knowledgeable ally by your side? It's tempting to kiss up to the Seller's agent to get that house that you really like, but you'd better think twice. Would you go to trial with the court-appointed...

— Yuexiang Y.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

First time home buyer. I was under the impression that this was going to be the most stressful process ever. Not with Brittany! We received our keys in less than a month from when she took us to visit the first house! We let her know from the start that we were new to this and to be gentle with us. She set up an initial meeting to learn about who we were and what we wanted. Then she laid out the entire p...

— Rick M.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

What an amazing experience it has been working with Brittany on the purchase of my first home. Before finally settling on my home, she sent me a long list of homes that fit exactly what I had expressed I was looking for. She had great insight and was highly knowledgeable. She was also very patient and always available to answer any question. I had a rather complicated credit profile that definitely slowe...

— Diego M.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

If you're looking for a realtor in the Bay Area/etc, to help you purchase a home, I recommend Brittany. I'll explain. When we initially met Brittany, she walked us through all the steps of purchasing a home! She was very professional, knowledgeable, and warm. Unfortunate financial circumstances put a halt to home search at the time, but Brittany kindly checked in on us periodically offering help anyway s...

— David L.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I wasn't really too serious about purchasing my first home and I had no clue where to even start. Brittany provided me with a quick consultation on what the process is for a first time homebuyer and made me confident. She basically broke everything down from point A to point B. Brittany selected a few homes for me to look at and eventually I found something I really liked. From the point we made an offer...

— Emmanuel V.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Having Brittany as our realtor during this stressful and life-changing process was a blessing! As first time homebuyers, my wife and I had no idea how the home-buying process was like and didn't even know where to start. Brittany set up an initial Zoom meeting to walk us through the whole process, from choosing our price range all the way to the closing date, and this was very helpful in preparing us for...

— Glen N.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany helped me and my fiancé get our first home and we just received the keys today! I am still amazed at how she pulled off getting us our first choice on our first attempt ever at purchasing a house in Hayward! She's super helpful, friendly and keeps really tight communication with her clients. She was present during the entire process and was so genuine in wanting to do everything she could to tur...

— Mark B.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

We looked at a handful of houses and got the first one we offered on. Brittany's breadth of knowledge of the home buying experience guided us through what could be one of the most overwhelming processes. I didn't think this would happen for another 5 years, but she educated us, showed us around, and patiently assured us as we experienced a zillion different emotions. Thank you for showing us our dream of...

— Ericalisa R.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany was simply amazing. Very attentive, detailed, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. We have been in touch for almost a year, and she's answered every question I've had thus far, or pointed me to the right direction. Brittany recently helped us buy a home with 17 other offers. I'd highly recommend her services.

— Puya T.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

As a first-time homebuyer, the steps involved in buying a home can be super intimidating. Brittany and her colleagues were super helpful - and even though Brittany went on vacation during part of the process, she still checked in with me over text every few days. She happily drove me around to 5 or so apartments, handled all of my novice questions with kindness and depth, and was a delight to work with. ...

— Salim Z.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

We are so incredibly lucky that we were able to meet and work with Brittany. She was exceedingly patient with us as we navigated through the home buying process. We'd been looking on and off for a couple years. She held our hands and taught us so much along the way, always making sure we had all the necessary information and that we really felt comfortable. She advised us not just as clients, but as frie...

— Jen W.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany was an amazing partner in helping me find a home! I was connected to Brittany through a mutual friend and had a great experience working with her. Brittany helped me buy my first home, and made the process incredibly painless. She asked me lots of questions to understand what I was looking for, what I prioritized, what my non-negotiables were, etc, and sent me regular recommendations on new list...

— Jonathan H.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

As first time homebuyers, my fiancé and I didn't know the first thing about what to look for in a new home. Thankfully, Brittany was fully transparent and shared her knowledge on the matter. During the various open houses we attended together, she pointed out telltale signs that gave away flaws in the property - cracks in the pavement and walls, ADU's that lacked permits, things like that. Some realtors ...

— Jose R.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany is hands down amazing at what she does. She is responsive, isn't forceful and knows what's she is doing. My husband and I have been looking for a home on and off for a little over a year and after we met Brittany at an open house she always made herself available to answering our questions about other potential homes, she did her research and shared everything she knew about any property. We nev...

— Melissa S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany is nothing short but amazing! When we first started to look around for places we didn't have a placement for where we wanted to start off. We weren't sure what the market looked like, what was available or what areas to look in. She started the process by making some great recommendations and gave great insight into where the best values would be. As the hunting began, we started to look at plac...

— Jesisca N.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Where do I begin?! Brittany was a blessing in disguise and I don't know where my family would be to this day if it wasn't for her. From day one Brittany helped my family and I search, search and search for a home that was just right for us. Mind you, we had ZERO clue where to start when looking for a home nor how to go about it. Brittany was fantastic! She truly went above and beyond practically "holding...

— Noelle S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

As first-time homebuyers and internationals, we didn't know where to start to buy our family's first house. We were connected to Brittany by chance when I applied for a preapproval mortgage. And it turned out we were very lucky thankfully. She was fully transparent and fully understood our trouble as an immigrant where anything always comes as a new thing. She tried to understand what we were looking for...

— Julius C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I've been wanting to work with Brittany for some time now since I had seen glowing reviews for her by previous clients, and I was finally given this opportunity when I needed to sell my home. Brittany was extremely easy to work with well organized, down to earth, communicative, and always willing to help wherever possible. Selling a home is a lot of work, but Brittany made me feel like I could take it ea...

— Thalia H.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany made our first home buying process quick and easy and was there for us every step of the way! She responded whenever we had a question, no matter what time, even when the question should have been directed to someone else. She was in constant communication with the seller, broker, and us to ensure everyone's needs were met. She provided us with resources from shutters to cleaning companies to ho...

— Amanda D.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany helped me and my girlfriend get our first house together she was always so helpful contacting the seller agent and giving us every update and necessary stuff we needed to know about the house she even helped us with a different Lender that was really good at what he does and made this unique property happen for us I would really recommend her to anyone that's looking into buying a house for the ...

— Josue I.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Amazing! Brittany is awesome, extremely helpful and super patient. Just bought my first home and she helped me understand the ropes and ensured we secured our first house. She made herself available all days of the week and at all times. I was also not having much traction with my bank as a lender and she went above and beyond in helping me secure a responsive lender that also was great in answering all ...

— Salvador C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Brittany is all that you can want and more in a realtor. She went above and beyond, even working late night on Fridays (despite us telling her not to)! We ended up finding our home within less than a month of searching. My partner and I would both highly recommend her.

— Tristan V.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

She is the best real estate agent She is very Patient, very kind . She can help us any time make any phone call , and reply anytime and and very fast , thank you, Brittany.

— Van N.

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About Brittany

Work With Brittany

With over 8+ years in the industry, Brittany has experience working with sellers, buyers, and investors. As a homeowner and investor herself, Brittany has the knowledge to share with her clients should they need assistance with their first home, second home, or investment property. Brittany is a full service Realtor.

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Contact Details

Brittany Ng | CA DRE# 02066282

(650) 477-4488

[email protected]



215 Washington St
Oakland CA 94607