Leave a Message

Thank you for your message. I will be in touch with you shortly.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Buying a Home

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.

main

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.

main

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.

main

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.

main

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
main

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.

main

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.

main

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.

main

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.

main

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.

main

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.

Amelia H.
Gail A.
Brigid F.
Ann K.
Karen W.
Billy M.
Adrian & Emma
Maryann B.
Walrus Enterprises
Simona S.
Diane P. O.
Lori H.
Michael W.
Julie P.
Cheri N.
Seller
Cathleen S.
Tyler T.
Jonathan L.
Adam M.
What Clients Are Saying

Eileen helped me to find and buy my first home. I’m very happy with my experience with Eileen. I definitely recommend her if you need a realtor in the area!

— Amelia H.

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen was amazing! It wasn’t a simple closing; it was a little trying at times, but she made it happen and helped me stay calm. Thank you.

— Gail A.

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen is an amazing Realtor! She makes the complicated effortless! She makes problems disappear in minutes! She works very hard to keep it simple for all involved. I recommend Eileen very highly! Thanks, Eileen, for all you do!

— Brigid F.

What Clients Are Saying

Very professional. Excellent service. Highly recommend.

— Ann K.

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen was wonderful to work with. My house sold within a matter of days! She made the whole process of selling my house a smooth and stress-free experience.

— Karen W.

What Clients Are Saying

Positive Responsiveness and Professionalism.

— Billy M.

What Clients Are Saying

We had the pleasure of working with Eileen in the pursuit of buying our first home. Eileen was extremely patient, professional, honest, and caring, and went above and beyond to help us make the right decisions and guide us through the entire process completely stress-free. We are very grateful to have found her.

— Adrian & Emma

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen has been a pleasure to work with. Very responsive.

— Maryann B.

What Clients Are Saying

Very Professional, excellent service, nothing left to chance. Our home was presented exactly as we wished.

— Walrus Enterprises

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen is great. Professional, knowledgeable, and skilled at navigating both selling and purchasing. She made the process much less stressful.

— Simona S.

What Clients Are Saying

Positive Quality and Professionalism.

— Diane P. O.

What Clients Are Saying

Professional. Responsive. Very knowledgeable. Awesome list of contractors and workers who show up. Highly recommend Eileen!

— Lori H.

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen thought of everything and took care of everything. With her knowledge of the real estate market, she priced the house correctly, and the house was sold in a timely fashion.

— Michael W.

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen was wonderful to work with, and I would definitely recommend her to family and friends. She is extremely knowledgeable and helped us find our home in a very competitive market. Positive Responsiveness and Professionalism.

— Julie P.

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen was very easy to work with and made the process very stress-free.

— Cheri N.

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen took the time to know where we were coming from and where we wanted to be. She and her team put so much time and effort in helping us sell our former home. And it was a definite team effort. She presented our former home stunningly. She helped us in viewing the many options of future homes. She and her team were available to answer our questions via phone, text, or email. I never realized how much a realtor does in preparation to closing that is involved in selling and buying a home. My wife and I couldn't have done it without her!

— Seller

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen was wonderful to work with in both selling our home and purchasing a new home. She was knowledgeable, supportive, and insightful. She had numerous resources to share with us and always returned calls in a prompt time frame. She was a true professional in every sense of the word! We would highly recommend her. Her expertise was invaluable to us.

— Cathleen S.

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen was the best to work with. She was truly kind and caring and very informative as first time home buyer. We will be using her in the future, and we highly recommend her to anyone!

— Tyler T.

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen was amazing in working with us to sell our home. She was incredibly thorough since day 1. Setting clear expectations and working with us to address all our needs and concerns. She checked in regularly and made us feel comfortable at all stages of the process. We highly recommend Eileen!

— Jonathan L.

What Clients Are Saying

Eileen made it super easy to sell our home. She came prepared with resources for us to use and was an excellent communicator. We found a buyer in the first week after listing and got above asking. She even shoveled out part of our walkway while we were away!

— Adam M.

View All

Home

About

Team

Work With a Trusted Franklin Real Estate Expert

Eileen brings local insight, clear communication, and a client-first approach to every transaction. Whether you’re buying, selling, downsizing, or exploring a move into a higher price point, Eileen provides the guidance, strategy, and support needed to move forward with confidence. Her approach is personal, responsive, and focused on helping you make smart decisions at every stage of the process. From the first conversation to closing day, you can expect experienced representation and a steady hand throughout your real estate journey.

Let's Connect

Get in Touch

contact-form-background

Contact Details

Eileen Mason

(508) 330- 4234
[email protected]

308 WEST CENTRAL STREET FRANKLIN, MA 02038 MON - SUN, 9 AM - 8 PM