The First-Time Homebuyer Guide
Everything a first-time buyer needs, in the order it happens. Nine chapters covering money, mortgage, search, offer, inspection, and closing day.
Editor, Buying & Selling
Elena Ruiz-Adams
Elena Ruiz-Adams writes about the transaction itself — offers, contingencies, inspections, negotiation, and closing. She has interviewed hundreds of agents, inspectors, and title officers about what actually derails a deal.
Licensed real estate salesperson, 2009-2019.
Articles by Elena Ruiz-Adams
17 published pieces.
- What to Expect During a Home InspectionThe inspection is your best chance to find out what you are actually buying. Here is how the appointment works, what the report will and will not tell you, and how to respond to what it finds.
- 15 Questions to Ask Before Buying a HomeFifteen questions worth asking before you write an offer — and what the answers tell you.
- How to Choose the Right NeighborhoodYou can renovate a kitchen. You cannot renovate a location. Here is how to evaluate a neighborhood before you commit to one.
- How to Make an Offer on a HouseAn offer is more than a number. Price, contingencies, timing, and deposit size all signal something to a seller — and each of them is negotiable.
- Earnest Money: How Much and When You Get It BackEarnest money is a good-faith deposit that proves you are serious. It is refundable more often than buyers think — and forfeitable in ways they do not expect.
- Buying New Construction: What to Know Before You SignA builder's contract is written by the builder. Here is what to negotiate, what to inspect, and what the warranty actually covers.
- Buying a Condo: What to Check Before You CommitWith a condo you are buying into a small government as well as a home. Its balance sheet matters as much as the unit.
- 9 First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes That Cost Real MoneyMost first-time buyer regrets trace back to a small number of predictable mistakes. Here they are, with what to do instead.
- How to Prepare Your Home for SalePreparation is the cheapest lever a seller has. Here is a four-week plan covering repairs, decluttering, deep cleaning, and the small fixes that change how a house photographs.
- The Complete Home Seller ChecklistEverything a seller needs to do, in the order it needs doing — from eight weeks before listing to the day you hand over the keys.
- How to Price Your Home to SellPrice is the most powerful lever a seller controls, and the most commonly misused. Here is how buyers actually respond to it.
- How to Review and Compare OffersThe highest offer is not always the best offer. Here is how to compare them on the terms that determine whether a deal actually closes.
- Which Repairs Are Worth Making Before You SellNot every defect should be repaired before listing. Here is how to sort the ones that pay from the ones that do not.
- Selling and Buying at the Same TimeAlmost every move-up buyer faces the same problem: the money is in the current house. Here are the four ways people solve it.
- Selling an Inherited HomeSelling a home you inherited involves questions an ordinary sale does not — starting with whether you are legally able to sell it yet.
The Complete Home Seller Guide
A start-to-finish seller's guide — what to fix, how to price, how to evaluate offers, and what actually comes out of your proceeds.