Home · Buy
The buying guide
Before the door opens,
know what is behind it.
Seven decisions, in the order they find you. Lydie walks every one of them at your side, and every number on this page is yours to play with first.
The Estate, Camano Island. Photography for a CASALIV listing.
What should be clear before you start looking
Most buyers start with listings. The ones who buy calmly start with three numbers and one date.
The monthly number you are comfortable with. A pre-approval tells you the most a lender will lend. It does not tell you what leaves room for daycare, travel, or a roof in eight years. We plan from your number, not the lender’s ceiling.
The cash you can commit. Down payment, closing costs, and what you want left in the bank afterward. These three compete with each other, and the right split depends on your rate and your plans.
The date that is fixed. A lease end, a school start, a job start. Everything else in the plan can flex around it.
A written buyer agreement. Since January 2024, Washington requires a written agreement between a buyer and their broker. It says what we will do, for how long, and how compensation works. Read it, ask about it, and negotiate it like any other contract.
How price, down payment and monthly cost connect
The price is one number. What you live with is the monthly payment and the cash you no longer have.
Principal and interest is the part your rate controls. Property tax and insurance belong to the house, so two homes at the same price can have very different monthly costs. A condo’s HOA dues can equal a large slice of loan. The calculator shows each piece separately, and tells you what a half point of rate, five more percent down, or $100 of HOA would change.
Monthly cost
Calculator- Loan amount
- Down payment
- Interest over the full term
What moves this number
Assumptions and limits
- Principal and interest use the standard fixed-rate amortization formula. A 0% rate divides the loan evenly over the term; 100% down is treated as a cash purchase.
- The default rate is an example for illustration only. It is not today’s rate and not a quote. Your lender quotes the real rate, which depends on credit, loan type, points and the day you lock.
- Property tax is entered as a yearly percentage of price so you can model any home. For a specific property, use the tax amount on the King or Snohomish County assessor record; a sale can change the assessed value.
- Mortgage insurance is a simple yearly percentage of the loan when the down payment is below 20%. Real premiums vary by credit score and loan type. FHA and VA loans use different rules.
- Utilities, maintenance and HOA special assessments are not included.
Want a lender’s real numbers next to these? We can introduce you to lenders our clients have worked with and compare their Loan Estimates with you.
Review my numbersThen, the cash. Closing costs cover the lender, title insurance and the escrow officer. Prepaids are not fees: they are interest from closing to month end, the first year of insurance, and a starting balance for the account your lender uses to pay tax and insurance for you. In Washington, the seller pays the real estate excise tax, so it is not on your side of the ledger.
Cash to close
Estimator- Cash to close plus reserves
Assumptions and limits
- Total cash needed is down payment plus closing costs plus prepaids, minus seller credits. Earnest money is part of that total: it is deposited soon after mutual acceptance, so less is due at signing.
- Reserves are shown separately on purpose. They are not a closing cost; they are what should still be in your account after the keys change hands.
- Every figure is yours to enter. The defaults are illustrative. Your lender’s Loan Estimate and, later, the Closing Disclosure give the real numbers for your loan.
- In Washington the seller pays the real estate excise tax, so it is not part of a buyer’s cash to close.
Holding a Loan Estimate? Send it with this summary and we will go through each line with you before you lock.
Go through it with us
Location, condition and type: comparing homes that are not alike
You can renovate a kitchen. You cannot renovate a street, a slope or the afternoon light.
Hard to change later
- The street: traffic, noise, parking, where it connects
- Slope, drainage and how the lot sits in rain
- Light: which way the main rooms face, and the trees
- The school assignment for that exact address
- Zoning and what neighbors are allowed to build
Easier to change
- Finishes, paint, lighting and flooring
- Kitchens and baths, with budget and patience
- Landscaping that is not a retaining wall
- Furniture layout, which staging can disguise either way
- Most cosmetic dated details
House, townhouse or condo
- Detached houseYou own the land and the building, and every repair is yours. Lot size, trees and outbuildings matter as much as square footage. Check the age of the roof, heating system and side sewer.
- TownhouseOften newer, often with an HOA for shared elements. Read what you own: some are condominiums legally, some are fee simple with shared walls. Stairs and the size of the private outdoor space are the usual trade-offs.
- CondominiumYou buy a unit and a share of everything else. Before you fall in love, read the budget, the reserve study, recent minutes, insurance and any rental limits. A thin reserve fund often means a special assessment later.
To compare two homes honestly, put the whole monthly picture side by side, not the price. The comparison below starts with three examples: the same house with and without points, and a lower-priced condo with HOA dues and 10% down.
Compare scenarios
Side by sideReading the difference
Assumptions and limits
- Scenario A is the reference. B and C show the difference from A in each row.
- Points are prepaid interest: each point costs 1% of the loan up front, in exchange for a lower rate. The example rate reduction for 1.5 points is illustrative; lenders price points differently every day.
- Mortgage insurance is estimated at 0.5% of the loan per year below 20% down.
- “Interest, first 7 years” follows the amortization schedule month by month. Many owners sell or refinance before the full term, so the early years often matter more than the total.
- Taxes, insurance and HOA dues are what you enter. A condo’s HOA often includes some insurance, water or exterior maintenance; ask what the dues cover before comparing.
Comparing two real homes? Send the addresses and we will fill in actual tax records, HOA documents and recent sales for both.
Compare real homes
Touring past the staging
Staging is designed to be noticed. These are the things we look at that it is not designed to show you.
- The roof and gutters. Moss, granule loss and gutters that dump water next to the foundation. Our wet season is long, and water is where repair bills start.
- The crawlspace or basement. A musty smell, a running dehumidifier, staining or standing water. Ask whether there is a vapor barrier.
- Windows. Fog between panes means a failed seal. Heavy condensation can point to ventilation problems.
- Older homes: the oil tank question. Many older homes here once heated with oil. A fill or vent pipe outside can mean a tank, still in the ground or decommissioned. Ask for records.
- The side sewer. The pipe from the house to the street is usually the owner’s. In older neighborhoods, a sewer scope during inspection is money well spent.
- Slope, retaining walls and trees. Cracked walls, leaning trees and the drainage path in heavy rain. Cities regulate tree removal and steep slopes, so check before you plan around a tree.
- The electrical panel and heating. Age and type, and whether the home has a heat pump, a furnace, baseboards or a mix.
- Noise and light at your hours. Return at the time you would actually be home: rush hour, school pick-up, a dark December afternoon.
- Furniture scale. Staged furniture is often small. Measure the rooms you care about and picture your own pieces.
- Parking and storage. Where cars, bikes and gear go. Some neighborhoods use residential parking zones.
Price, contingencies and how an offer is put together
The price gets the attention. The terms decide whether a seller believes the price will hold.
Price comes from evidence, not hope. We look at closed sales that compete for the same buyer, homes pending right now, and what is still sitting on the market and why. Then we look at this home’s history: days on market, price changes, whether there is an offer review date.
Contingencies protect you, and each one has a cost in competition. The question is never “all or none”. It is which protections matter for this house, for how long, and what you are prepared to do if one is triggered.
Terms a seller cares about include closing date, possession, a rent-back if they need time, earnest money, and how certain your financing looks.
| Term | What it protects | What it can cost you | Questions to answer first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspection contingency | Your right to inspect, negotiate repairs or a credit, or withdraw within the period. | Sellers may prefer an offer with a shorter period or none. | How old are the roof, sewer and systems? Is there a pre-inspection report? |
| Financing contingency | Your earnest money if the loan does not come through in time. | Cash and strongly underwritten offers can look safer. | How complete is your pre-approval? Is the loan type unusual? |
| Appraisal | You are not forced to pay above what the lender’s appraiser supports. | Removing it, or offering to cover a gap, signals certainty. | If the appraisal is low, how much cash could you add without strain? |
| Sale of your current home | You are not carrying two homes if yours does not sell. | Many sellers accept it only in slower markets. | Could you buy first, with a bridge loan or a rent-back? See the selling guide. |
| Escalation | You do not overpay a lot to beat a close competitor. | Reveals your ceiling; some sellers counter to it. | What is the most you would pay, knowing the recent sales? |
From mutual acceptance to the keys
After acceptance the work becomes a calendar. This is an illustrative 30-day financed purchase; your contract sets the real dates.
- Mutual acceptanceBoth sides have signed. Every deadline in the contract counts from here.
- Earnest money and disclosureEarnest money goes to escrow on the schedule in the contract. Once you receive the seller’s disclosure statement (NWMLS Form 17), Washington law gives you three business days to rescind.
- Inspection periodYour inspector, sewer scope and any specialists. Then you accept, ask for repairs or a credit, or withdraw, inside the window you negotiated.
- Appraisal and underwritingThe lender orders an appraisal and reviews your file. A low appraisal reopens the conversation about price, cash or terms.
- Walkthrough and signingYou confirm the home’s condition and agreed repairs, then sign with the escrow officer, usually a few days before closing.
- Recording and keysThe deed records with the county and funds are released. Possession follows the date in your contract.
Washington uses escrow. A neutral escrow officer holds the funds, prepares the closing documents and records the sale. The title company insures that the seller can transfer clean title. Both are usually chosen in the contract.
When the inspection finds something, the options are the same every time: accept it, ask for a repair, ask for a credit or a price change, or withdraw inside the contingency period. What we recommend depends on the item, the cost, and whether a lender or insurer will care about it.
When the appraisal comes in low, you can bring more cash, ask the seller to lower the price, meet in between, or, if your contract allows, step away.
What changes for a first home, or a first year here
Buying your first home
- Look at assistance before you look at houses. The Washington State Housing Finance Commission runs down payment assistance programs through participating lenders. Income and price limits apply. wshfc.org
- Keep reserves. The first year in a house usually brings a surprise: a water heater, a gutter, a tree. Do not spend your last dollar at closing.
- Budget for upkeep. Many owners plan for a percentage of the home’s value each year, more for older homes.
- Read HOA documents slowly. Rules, dues history, reserves and rental limits matter as much as the floor plan.
- Ask everything. Escrow, title, points, prepaids: there are no silly questions on the largest purchase of your life.
Moving to the area
- Map your week, then the neighborhoods. Work, school, the gym, the airport. The same distance can feel very different across a bridge or a freeway interchange at 5 pm.
- Test the commute at your real hours. We do not quote drive times; traffic, tolls on SR 520 and construction change them. Try it, or check transit trip planners, for the times you will travel.
- Confirm school assignment by address. Boundaries do not follow city lines. Each district publishes a boundary lookup.
- See a house in the rain. Or ask for videos in a downpour. Drainage, light and mood all change in November.
- Tour remotely when you need to. Live video tours, recorded walk-throughs and an in-person visit planned around the homes worth flying in for.
Next step
Coffee first. Houses after.
- 01Thirty minutes with Lydie, by phone or video. Your timing, your budget, the week you want to live, and the deal-breakers.
- 02A short written plan. The areas worth seeing first, a search set up around your list, and lenders to compare if you need one.
- 03First tours, in person or by live video, with what we notice about each house in writing afterward.
- Phone425.974.9985
- Emaillydie@casaliv.co
- BrokerageKelly Right RE of Seattle LLC