Homeownership Resources
Homeownership comes with a lot of questions, and sometimes you just need a good place to start.
I’ve created these resources to help you understand what you’re looking at, know what questions to ask, and feel a little more prepared for whatever stage of homeownership you’re in.
Start with the section that sounds most like where you are right now.
PREPARE: Build Your Foundation
Before you start looking at houses, let’s make sure the foundation is in place.
This is where we talk about things like credit, savings, budgeting, financing, and what may need some attention before you’re ready to buy. You don’t have to have everything perfect. You just need to know where you are and what your next step should be.
Homebuyer Readiness Checklist
Not sure how close you are to being ready to buy? Start here. This checklist will help you look at your credit, finances, savings, mortgage preparation, and personal readiness so you can see what’s already in place and what may need some attention.
Credit Prep Guide
Credit can feel confusing when you’re looking at scores, balances, collections, and advice coming from everywhere. This guide will help you understand what may be affecting your credit and what to pay attention to as you work toward stronger credit health.
Understanding Preapproval
Before you seriously start shopping for homes, you need to know what the numbers look like. This resource will explain what preapproval is, what a lender may ask you for, and what you should understand before you start looking at houses.
PURCHASE: Buy With Confidence
Once you’re ready to buy, there are a lot of moving pieces—and I don’t expect you to already know how all of them work.
These resources will help you understand what happens from preapproval to closing so you can ask better questions and know what’s coming before you’re in the middle of it.
Homebuying Process Guide
Not sure what happens after preapproval? This guide walks you through the homebuying process from the first conversation and home search through offers, inspections, appraisal, and closing day.
Making a Strong Offer
A strong offer is about more than offering the highest price. This resource will help you understand the terms that can matter, what a seller may consider, and how to make an offer that is competitive without forgetting your own limits.
Inspection, Appraisal & Closing
Getting under contract is exciting, but you’re not at the finish line yet. This resource will help you understand what happens during the inspection, appraisal, final loan process, and the days leading up to closing.
PROTECT: Protect What Matters
Sometimes homeownership gets hard.
If you’re worried about your mortgage, already behind, or you’ve received something from your mortgage company that you don’t understand, don’t ignore it.
These resources are here to help you start making sense of what’s happening and what questions you may need to ask next.
Homeowner Hardship Guide
If you’re struggling with your mortgage or worried about falling behind, start here. This guide walks you through the first things to do, what information to gather, and some of the options you may hear about as you work through your situation.
What to Do After Receiving a Foreclosure Notice
Receiving a foreclosure notice can be scary, especially when you don’t fully understand what it means. This resource will help you slow things down, identify important dates, know what information to gather, and understand who you may need to contact.
Understanding Your Mortgage Relief Options
Repayment plan. Forbearance. Loan modification. Short sale. Deed-in-lieu. Those terms can start running together pretty quickly. This resource will explain common options in plain language so you have a better idea of what questions to ask about your specific situation.
PRESERVE: Build Your Future
Getting the keys isn’t the end of the homeownership journey.
Once you own the home, you still have something to care for, protect, and make thoughtful decisions about. These resources are here to help you stay on top of the home you’ve worked for and think ahead about what comes next.
Home Equity Basics
You hear people talk about “building equity,” but what does that actually mean? This resource will help you understand what home equity is, how it can change, and why knowing your equity matters when you’re making decisions about your home.
Home Maintenance & Protection Checklist
A little attention along the way can help you catch small problems before they become expensive ones. Use this checklist as a simple reminder of the things around your home that may need attention throughout the year.
Annual Homeownership Review
A lot can change in a year—including your home, your finances, and your plans. This annual check-in will help you review things like your mortgage, insurance, taxes, home condition, estimated equity, and what you may want to do with the property next.
Not Sure Which Resource You Need?
That’s okay. You don’t have to figure out which checklist, guide, or next step fits your situation before you reach out.
Tell me a little about where you are—whether you’re preparing to buy, already in the process, dealing with a challenge as a homeowner, or simply trying to take better care of the home you own.
We’ll start there.