The 12 Month Home Buying Blueprint

Most people start house hunting about six months too late. They find a home they love, then discover their credit needed work, or their down payment savings weren't seasoned, or the assistance program they qualified for ran out of funding in March.

This blueprint works backward from move-in day. Twelve months, one page at a time, so nothing gets discovered at the worst possible moment.

What's inside:

• A month-by-month timeline from twelve months out to closing day

• What to fix on your credit, and when to start

• How much to save, and why when you save it matters as much as how much

• The local down payment assistance programs most Central Valley buyers never hear about

• What lenders actually look at besides your credit score

• Questions to ask before you pick an agent or a lender

• What happens during escrow, plain-language

I put this together because I kept having the same conversation. Someone would call me excited about a house, and we'd find out three days later that something fixable — something we could have handled easily a year earlier — was going to cost them the deal. I promise it’s never too early to start getting prepared to buy a home.

I'm Alex Sousa, a REALTOR® with Atlantic Realty in Turlock. I work with first-time buyers across Stanislaus, Merced, and San Joaquin counties. If you’re ready to start planning to buy your first home, my number's below.

Alex Sousa · REALTOR® · Atlantic Realty · DRE #02222493 · (209) 678-4118