From dreaming to keys.

Stage 01

Build your foundation

Before looking at a single listing, get your own footing clear. This stage is quiet, and it matters most.

• Review your credit reports and correct anything that is inaccurate.
• Save toward a down payment — and, separately, toward an emergency reserve you intend to keep after you buy.
• Get an honest picture of what you spend each month, so a housing number has something real to sit beside.
• Think about how long you expect to stay. It shapes whether buying makes sense at all.

Stage 02

Know your numbers

A mortgage payment is only part of what a home costs each month. Understand the whole figure before a lender or a listing gives you one.

• Understand the complete monthly cost: principal and interest, property taxes, insurance, any HOA or mortgage insurance, plus maintenance and utilities.
• Talk with one or more lenders about loan options and what pre-approval would involve.
• Try living with the future payment for a few months before you commit to it.
• Add up the cash it takes to buy — not just the down payment.

Stage 03

Your home wish list

Sort what you want into three honest lists. It keeps a search focused, and it makes decisions faster when two good homes compete.

Stage 04

Where should you buy?

Get to know the communities before you fall in love with a particular house. A beautiful kitchen does not change a commute.

• Drive the commute at the times you would actually make it.
• Visit at different times of day and on a weekend.
• Notice the errands, parks and places you would use every week.
• Look at the kinds of homes an area has, not only the one that caught your eye.

Stage 05

Get ready

Line up the practical pieces so that, when the right home appears, you can move with confidence.

• Complete or refresh your pre-approval, and keep the documents your lender asks for close at hand.
• Keep your finances steady: check with your lender before opening new credit or moving large sums.
• Line up timing with your lease or the sale of a current home.
• Share your priorities with Ardra so the search starts from what matters to you.

Stage 06

Now we shop

Tour with your three lists in hand. The goal is not to see everything — it is to recognize the right fit when you see it.

• Compare each home against your must-haves before anything else.
• Pay attention to layout, light, noise and condition, not just finishes.
• Read the disclosures that are available and ask about anything unclear.
• Look at recent comparable sales together before deciding what to offer.

Stage 07

You found the one

An offer is more than a price. Terms, timing and contingencies all shape how strong — and how protective — it is.

• Talk through price, deposit, contingencies and timeline before you write.
• Confirm with your lender that the loan approach fits the offer.
• Once accepted, your deposit goes into escrow as the contract describes.

Stage 08

During escrow

Escrow is where the details get checked. It moves quickly, and most of it runs on dates in the contract.

• Schedule inspections promptly and read the reports alongside the disclosures.
• If you are financing, expect an appraisal and continued lender review.
• Start on homeowners insurance early — in parts of California it can take time to secure.
• Avoid unnecessary financial changes. Talk with your lender before any major financed purchase, new credit or job change.
• Never act on emailed wiring instructions. Call your escrow officer at a number you have verified yourself.

Stage 09

Before you get the keys

The last stretch is about confirming — that the home is as agreed and the numbers are what you expect.

• Do a final walkthrough to confirm the property's condition and any agreed repairs.
• Review your Closing Disclosure, compare it with your Loan Estimate and ask about differences.
• Confirm the amount and method for your closing funds directly with escrow.
• Set up utilities and plan the move.

Stage 10

Closing day

Documents are signed, funds move and ownership is recorded. When you receive the keys depends on the terms of your contract.

• Plan for costs that arrive after closing: your first mortgage payment, property tax bills — including a possible supplemental tax bill after a change in ownership in California — and early maintenance.
• Change the locks and keep your closing documents somewhere safe.
• Keep the emergency reserve you built in stage one intact while you settle in.