Plain-English answers, patient tours, and a guide who treats your first home like the milestone it actually is.
First-time buyers are some of my favorite clients. You walk in carrying a real mix of excitement and anxiety, and the industry too often meets that with jargon, pressure, and a rush to put you under contract. That’s not how I work. My job, before anything else, is to slow the whole thing down to your speed and translate the parts that are legitimately confusing — because most of it is.
We’ll start with a long conversation about your life, not your loan. What does your monthly look like today? What feels comfortable for a payment, including the parts most people forget — taxes, insurance, utilities, the lawn mower? Are you planning to stay in this home for five years, or fifteen? Are you buying alone, with a partner, with family help on the down payment? Those answers shape everything — the loan we look for, the neighborhoods I show you, the homes I’ll tell you to walk away from.
Then I introduce you to lenders. Two or three I trust, so you can compare honestly. We’ll talk first-time buyer programs — OHFA in Ohio, FHA, USDA in qualifying parts of Marysville and Richwood — and what each one costs you over the life of the loan, not just at closing. By the time we tour, you’ll know your real budget, not just your max approval.
On tour, I walk slow. I’ll point out what photos hide and what the inspector will probably flag. When we find the right one, I write the offer with you sitting next to me, clause by clause. Through inspection, appraisal, and closing, I’ll be the person who picks up the phone — and a week after you move in, I’ll check on how you’re settling. The relationship doesn’t end at the keys.
- 01
Plain-English orientation
We sit down (in person or over coffee on Zoom) and walk through how buying a home actually works. No jargon, no pressure, no clock.
- 02
Budget & financing intro
I introduce you to two or three trusted lenders, help you compare loan options, and translate the numbers into a real monthly payment.
- 03
What-to-look-for walkthrough
Before we tour for real, we walk a few homes as practice — I'll show you what to notice, what to ignore, and what's worth a second look.
- 04
First offer
When the right home shows up, we draft your first offer together. Every clause, every contingency — explained before you sign anything.
- 05
Inspection guidance
I sit in on the inspection, decode the report, and help you decide what to ask the seller to fix versus what's normal home stuff.
- 06
Keys
Final walkthrough, closing table, paperwork, congratulations — and a follow-up the next week to make sure you're settling in alright.
Plain-English education
Earnest money. Escrow. Title. Contingency. PMI. Conventional vs. FHA. By the end of our first call, those words won't feel like another language. I'd rather over-explain than have you nod through something that costs you later. Every term, every form, every dollar — we'll walk it.
Lender introductions
I'll connect you with two or three Central Ohio lenders I trust, so you can compare rates and programs honestly. We'll talk through first-time buyer programs (OHFA, USDA, FHA), down payment assistance, and what each one means for your monthly payment — not just your loan approval.
Patience without pressure
Most first-timers don't buy the first home they see, and they shouldn't. I work on your timeline, not mine. If you need three months of weekend tours to feel ready, we tour for three months. If you're ready in three weeks, we move. The deal happens when the deal is right.
The four questions I hear most from first-time buyers in Marysville and across Central Ohio. Ask me anything else.
Less than most people think. Conventional loans can go as low as 3% down, FHA loans 3.5%, USDA loans 0% in qualifying rural areas (parts of Marysville and Richwood qualify). Ohio also has down payment assistance programs through OHFA. We'll talk through the trade-offs — lower down payment usually means PMI and a higher monthly — before you commit to a number.
I work with first-time buyers across 30+ Central Ohio cities. Tap your city for a neighborhood-level look at what first-time buyers are landing right now.