Your First 3 Steps to Buying a Home (Before You Do Anything Else)

Buying your first home in San Francisco is overwhelming — there are a thousand things you could do, and it’s hard to know what actually matters. The good news: you only need to nail the first three steps in order. Everything else comes after. Here they are.

Step 1: Get your finances honest (and get pre-approved)

This is the step most people skip or put off — and it’s the one that matters most. Before you look at a single listing:

• Pull your credit score and review your report for errors.
• Figure out your real down payment and savings.
• Get pre-approved by a lender — not just pre-qualified. Pre-approval tells you your real budget, shows sellers you’re serious, and makes your offer competitive.

In hot SF/Peninsula markets, a seller will often take a pre-approved, ready buyer over a higher offer that’s unqualified. This step is your biggest competitive edge.

Step 2: Define your “must-haves” vs. your “nice-to-haves”

Before you tour anything, write down two lists:

• Must-haves (deal-breakers): bedroom count, budget ceiling, neighborhoods you’d live in, parking/yard requirements.
• Nice-to-haves (flexible): updated kitchen, specific square footage, exact street.

In a competitive market you rarely get everything. Knowing which items you’ll compromise on — before you fall in love with a home — is what keeps you sane and helps your agent find the right match fast.

Step 3: Know the process and the timeline

Understand how offers actually work in SF/Peninsula, because it’s different from most of the country:

• Many listings use an offer date — the seller reviews all offers on a set day, often with no contingency from the winning buyer.
• You may need to move fast: see the home, review disclosures (inspection, pest, title reports), and be ready to write an offer within days.
• Know your closing costs (typically 2–5% of the price in addition to down payment) and expect a 30–45 day escrow.

That’s it — those are the first three

Once you’ve done these, you’re genuinely ready to start house-hunting. Everything else (touring, negotiating, inspections, closing) builds on this foundation.

Stuck on step 1? Let’s get you rolling.

I can connect you with a trusted local lender and walk you through your real budget and timeline — no pressure, no obligation.

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