A Great Place to Start
A little PSA from your friendly neighborhood broker...
You do not have to know how to buy a home before you start asking questions about buying a home.
At the risk of sounding a little cliché, I feel really blessed to be in the position I'm in. I've been lucky enough to present Homebuyer Education classes with NeighborWorks Green Bay, and every time I leave one, I'm reminded why I love what I do so much.
I get to sit in a room with people who are working toward something that means a lot to them. I get to answer their questions, help make a complicated process feel less intimidating, and then watch some of those folks eventually get the keys to their own home.
That is an extremely cool feeling.
One of the things I love about the classroom is the board that asks:
What is something that makes you excited about owning a home? The answers are nothing short of wonderful.
- "To be a homeowner and pass down my home to my kids"
- "I'm excited to have a yard of my own and a place for the grandkids"
- "Something that's mine"
- "I'm excited because my babies can finally say "This is our home!"
- "Having my own property where I can do as I like"
- "To pay less, gain equity in a home, and to stop paying stupid pet rent"
Something about reading these answers always stops me for a minute. This is their "why". This is what homeownership is all about, having a place that feels like yours, growing something, and having stability. And it's a gift to be one of the people who helps makes this process a little easier.
There are a lot of moving pieces and questions in buying a home, and you don't have to figure them all out by yourself.
Some of the questions I see a lot:
- "What is earnest money and how does it work?"
- "Who pays for what?"
- "What can I expect during a home inspection?"
- "What will my lender actually look at?"
All excellent questions. Ask away. I would much rather explain something than have you panic googling at 11:47 pm.
If you're thinking about buying a home, even if "someday" for you is a long way off, you don't have to know everything out right now. There are some really great people and resources in our community whose entire job is to help you figure this stuff out.
NeighborWorks Green Bay is one of them. They offer homebuyer education, one-on-one counseling, and programs that may help qualify buyers with things like down payment or closing costs. They're also a great organization to support if you want to help make homeownership and housing more accessible in our community. And of course, I'm always happy to be a sounding board, too.
