Jennifer Lee Mazeika

ABR, GRI, CRS

“Home is where your story begins, I’ll help you get there.”

Buy a home

First-Time Home Buyers-Crucial Steps to Buying Your First Home
Jennifer Mazeika

I remember when my husband and I first started looking for a home in the Smith Mountain Lake area, an area we had fallen in love with after visiting my husband’s family a number of times. Anyway, we had just moved down from Pennsylvania and at the time we were living in my in-laws guest house. We were in our mid 20’s, newly married and anxious to move out on our own.

We were first-time homebuyers. We started looking at listings on-line and driving thru different neighborhoods around Smith Mountain Lake – like Moneta, Goodview, Hardy and Huddleston. These were all very good first steps.

But you know what our first step should have been. . .

1. Checking Our Credit Scores: This is the number that mortgage lenders will look at to determine whether you are “creditworthy”. The average credit score is 695. Only about half the people that apply for a mortgage fall in the 700+ range.

See my blog – 4 Ways to Boost Your Credit Score Today

2. Figuring Out How Much Home We Could Afford: You should honestly assess your financial situation, including your income, monthly expenses and debts, job stability and determine roughly what you can afford to pay each month. Use the Zillow Affordability Calculator to determine how much house you can afford. By entering details about your income, down payment, and monthly debts, you can estimate the mortgage amount that works with your budget.

3. Getting Pre-Approved for a Mortgage: Once you have found a mortgage lender and gone through the process of supplying your tax forms, W-2’s, recent pay stubs, savings and debt obligations, the lender will let you know at what rate and how much they are willing to pre-approve a mortgage for.

This is a crucial step in buying your first home! It shows the seller that you have what it takes to buy their home. In most markets, a pre-approval is required for a seller to take your offer seriously. Show the seller that you are both willing and able to purchase their home.

Needless to say, my husband I were successful in purchasing our first home in Goodview. It’s where we started our family – our son and daughter. As a realtor who has assisted many couples with the purchase of their first home, I’ll help get you there.

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Client Tesimonials

“Over the last year we have spoken with several real estate agents in the area. Jennifer was the first person that earned our trust by working closely with us, asking relevant questions, and by being extremely responsive to find a home we would love. She took the time to send us updates on homes that were within our budget and exactly what we were looking for. She didn’t just set up a filter and let it automate results. I felt that she looked at new houses on the market and thought about how they might fit our family and what were looking for. We would recommend Jennifer to anyone looking for a real estate agent in the Smith Mountain Lake area.”

Zachary B.

bought a home at Smith Mountain Lake

“Jennifer has been the best realtor I’ve ever dealt with. She was always quick to respond and meet us wherever, whenever. She got to know us personally and would match us with the best houses. She cared more about our happiness with a home than the incentive she was getting. She helped with dealing with house inspections and dealing with the seller as well.”

Stephen C.

Bought a home in Thaxton, VA

“Jennifer was our realtor and did an excellent job. She found us a great house and it fit our budget. We put a contract on it in two days it was a pleasure working with her.
Awesome job Jennifer.”

Lee T.

Bought a home in Wirtz, VA

“We had a lot of issue’s with selling and buying another home, but Jennifer’s negotiating skills kept us from making big mistakes, like not having a home inspection. Otherwise, it would have cost us $1000.00 dollars. She was on top of every detail, even if it was a small one. Also, she was very responsive in returning phone calls. We highly recommend her as your agent. We will certainly use her again if need be.”

Barbara A.

Bought a home in Wirtz, VA

“Great realtor to work with. I came in with no knowledge about the process or anything just knew I wanted a house. She helped me and taught me every step of the way, giving great advice on everything.”

Kirsten S.

Bought a home in Vinton, VA

“I highly recommend Jennifer with any home buyer/seller needs. Jennifer was always on time to our appointments and she is so kind. Jennifer knew exactly what our family’s needs were and found us the perfect home.”

Christian J.

Bought a home in Boones Mill, VA

“I would defiantly recommend Jennifer for all your real estate purchases. Her knowledge, drive, and response times are excellent. She is very understanding and passionate about her job. She kept us informed every step of the way despite any hiccups (which she had no control over). Not only did she find us the perfect home, she did so in a way that was respectful and with class. Jennifer is by far the greatest realtor I have ever worked with.”

Jesse W.

Bought a home in Moneta, VA

“Jennifer was so helpful throughout the entire process, her recommendations for home, loan officers, and title company were the best in the business. Jennifer always had multiple options available and took our needs into consideration for every home we looked at until we found the perfect home for our family. Jennifer put a personal touch we will never forget into the home buying process and we will be forever grateful for the best service. We highly recommend Jennifer to everyone and have already enlisted her help with the selling of a family home, and she will be representing other friends and family in the purchase of their new home.”

Michelle H.

Bought a home in Moneta, VA

“Jennifer Mazeika was very attentive to our needs and prompt in answering our questions. She helped us find a beautiful home with everything we were looking for.”

James B.

Bought a home in Moneta, VA

“This was my first time buying a home and Jennifer was more than reliable.
She always replied to me quickly and took mental notes
about everything I was looking for in a home.”

 

Jessica P.

Bought a home in Union Hall, VA

“Jennifer was a delight to have as my agent. Her dedication to me as her client was superb and her knowledge of the area here in the Smith Mountain Lake is extensive.”

Nita F.

bought a home in Hardy, VA

“Jennifer was near perfect. She was always responsive; we never had to call twice. If she didn’t answer the phone, she got back to us very quickly. She was always willing to go the extra step. She is enthusiastic and her concern for us always seemed to be genuine. To put it succinctly, Jennifer made the ordeal of shopping for a
house much more pleasant than it usually is.”

Kurt S.

bought a home in Wirtz, VA

“Jennifer is absolutely wonderful to work with. She answered all of our questions (we had a lot) and took the time to help find us the right place. I highly recommend her!! I hope we get to see her around the lake!!”

Shannon W.

bought a condo in Moneta, VA

“Very professional, highly prepared, genuine, sincere and knowledgeable about the market. Prompt in returning phone calls and emails and appointments. Always enthusiastic about finding a home that meets the buyer’s wishes.”

Irene C.

bought a home in Wirtz, VA

“Very personable and knowledgeable in her profession. We got along quite well in searching for houses. Traveled throughout three counties in search of the perfect home. Continued despite numerous disappointments and setbacks.”

Doug O.

bought a home in Moneta, VA

“Jennifer has been the best realtor I’ve ever dealt with. She was always quick to respond and meet us wherever, whenever. She got to know us personally and would match us with the best houses. She cared more about our happiness with a home than the incentive she was getting. She helped with dealing with house inspections and dealing with the seller as well.”

Stephen C.

bought a home in Thaxton, VA

“Jennifer is a real estate agent we would use again. When choosing a real estate agent you want someone knowledgeable in all areas of buying and selling, who knows the “ins and outs” of the local area that also has a great personality who can make the sometimes stressful experience as enjoyable as possible. Jennifer is a triple threat! Very knowledgeable of the real estate business and the processes that go along with it. VERY RESPONSIVE. We were buying a property in Smith Mountain Lake and we lived out of town and that was difficult for us. Jennifer made us feel like we could call her anytime and that gave us a level of comfort.”

Gretchen R.

bought a condo in Moneta, VA

“Jennifer has been one of the best agents to work with. She has been very knowledgeable through the whole process. She went above and beyond and did more for us than we could have ever asked for. Answered all of our questions and understood completely what we were looking for and got us into the house of our dreams. Jennifer is an AMAZING agent. We plan to use her in the future and refer her to everyone we know. ”

Tiffani H

Bought a home in Moneta, VA