Search for Homes
Contact Us

Kiara Sundstrom | Managing Broker for Kenady Real Estate Group

Kiara's BUYER RESOURCES

Your Journey to Homeownership Starts Here

Explore essential resources, tools, and expert guidance to help you find and secure your dream home.

Schedule a Consultation

Buyer Tools & Resources

Empowering your home buying journey with premium real estate tools, neighborhood insights, and comprehensive answers.

Mortgage Tools

Calculate your monthly payments and explore financing options.

Get Started

Neighborhood Guides

Discover the best areas in Washington State that fit your lifestyle.

Explore Areas

Buyer Meeting

Get answers to the most common questions about the home buying process when you schedule a time to chat with me.

Schedule

Ready to Find Your Perfect Home?

Let's discuss your goals and create a personalized plan for your home search.

Contact me
RESOURCES & GUIDANCE

Frequently Asked Questions

Navigate your home-buying journey with clarity. Here are honest, simple answers to the questions we hear most from buyers.

What is the first step in buying a home?

The absolute first step is getting pre-approved for a mortgage loan. This helps you understand your true purchasing power, allows us to establish a realistic target budget, and signals to prospective home sellers that you are a serious, qualified buyer.

While a 20% down payment is ideal to avoid Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI), it is not a requirement. Many conventional loans allow down payments as low as 3% to 5%. FHA loans require just 3.5%, and government-backed options like VA or USDA loans can even offer 0% down programs for eligible buyers.

In standard real estate transactions, the seller pays the commission fees for both the listing agent and the buyer's agent. This means our representation, strategic negotiation, and personalized guidance typically come at no direct out-of-pocket cost to you as the buyer.

Once an offer is officially accepted, the typical closing window is between 30 and 45 days. This timeline allows your lender to finalize mortgage underwriting, gives us time to order a professional home inspection, completes the appraisal, and ensures clear title transfer.

Absolutely. A professional home inspection protects your investment. It helps uncover any hidden, costly structural, electrical, mechanical, or plumbing issues before finalizing the purchase. It also gives us valuable negotiation leverage for repairs or price reductions.