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Buyer's Guide

A Step-by-Step First Time Buyer's Guide

Buying a home is one of the most exciting milestones of your life. To prepare yourself for this moment, you need to know what to expect during the process. This step-by-step first time buyer’s guide created by our team will help reduce the stress of buying a home and help you enjoy the journey as much as possible.

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Step 1: Research

Do you already know where you want to buy? If you want a condo, townhome, or single-family home? Which features do you like and dislike? What’s available on the market now? If you answered no to any of these questions, now is the time to start researching. In addition to looking for homes that interest you, also take note of any changes in asking prices. This could give you valuable insight into housing trends in specific neighborhoods and help you when the time comes to make an offer.

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Step 2: Decide on Your Budget

Notice we said to decide on your budget—not determine how much the mortgage company will give you. In many cases, a mortgage company will pre-approve you for more than you’re comfortable spending, which is why you need to determine the monthly payment you feel comfortable with before talking to a lender. This likely includes doing a full household budget and taking into consideration what changes other than a mortgage payment will occur once you move into your new home. If you’ve lived in an apartment or with roommates, you may overlook new expenses like garbage, water, or HOA fees that could easily blow your budget.

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Step 3: Get Prequalified

Just because you think you can afford a certain payment every month doesn’t mean the mortgage company will agree. Just as they may approve you for too large of an amount, they may also approve you for a lesser amount or deny you a mortgage altogether. Lack of time at a job, insufficient credit, past bankruptcies, or other financial issues can cause major problems when trying to secure a mortgage. Before you get your heart set on a home, talk to a mortgage professional to find out what amount you can qualify for. This will also be an advantage when you make an offer on a home, as some sellers won’t entertain offers from those who aren’t already prequalified for a loan.

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Step 4: Choose Real Estate Experts

Can you shop for, look at, and ultimately make an offer on a home without real estate experts? Technically yes, but why would you when it costs you nothing for agents like us to take much of the stress off your shoulders? Not only will we help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but we also have knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, this is where our expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play. Let us show you around some homes that meet your dream home criteria so you can find the one that's right for you.

Passion & Expertise

Our goal is to provide you with the most personalized service possible, meticulously designed to help you navigate the process of buying your dream home. We are dedicated to understanding your unique needs and preferences, ensuring that every step of the journey is tailored to achieve your ultimate home-buying aspirations.

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Step 5: Find the Right Home

This should be the most enjoyable step of the entire process (other than moving in!). We will arrange showings of homes you’re interested in that are within your price range. Take notes about what you like and don’t like, and make sure to pay attention to details. Turn light switches on and off, open and close doors, and run the faucets in various rooms. Don’t limit your inspection to the home itself. Make sure to take time to explore the neighborhood and keep an eye on traffic at certain times of the day, the parking situation, and how close it is to necessities like schools and grocery stores.

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Step 6: Make an Offer

Once you have selected the perfect home, work with your agent to craft a fair offer based on the value of comparable homes on the market. Depending on what the home is listed at and whether the current environment is a buyer’s or seller’s market, your offer may be below, at, or even above the asking price. We will be able to help you negotiate if you receive a counteroffer and reach an agreement. At this point, the house will go into escrow.

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Step 7: Have the Home Inspected

In most cases, your offer will be contingent on having the home inspected to ensure there is no major structural damage or large repairs needed. We can help you arrange this, and you can schedule it within days of making an offer. If there are no major issues, the process goes to step eight. If there is, you can renegotiate your offer based on what needs to be fixed, or you can withdraw it.

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Step 8: Select Your Loan

Now is the time to go back to the mortgage lender who pre-approved or pre-qualified you and choose your mortgage. You will be presented with various options based on your unique financial situation, including fixed-rate, variable-rate, 15-year, 30-year, or special programs such as VA loans or FHA loans. Work with your mortgage lender to select the option you feel the most comfortable with.

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Step 9: Get a Home Appraisal

Your lender will have your new home appraised so they have their independent value of it. The appraisal is to ensure that all parties involved are paying a fair price for the house.

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Step 10: Finish Paperwork

No one looks forward to all the paperwork involved in buying a home, but it’s a necessary part of the process. Fortunately, everything will be arranged by your lender and title company and, when you’re finished, you’ll know you are the legal owner of your new home.

Congratulations!

After signing the final paperwork to complete the purchase, you are now the owner of a new house. It may take a few days for your loan to be funded once the paperwork has been returned to the lender, but once that check is delivered to the seller, you’ll be all set to move into the home of your dreams. 

See Why Our Clients Love Us

Testimonials

"After 13 moves across nearly a dozen states, we can confidently say that the Shae Chambers Helms Team at Keller Williams is the best real estate team we have ever worked with. From start to finish, Shae and her team did an outstanding job marketing and selling our home. Their knowledge of Beaufort, Lady’s Island, and every surrounding community is unmatched. Shae understood exactly how to position our home in the market, created incredible exposure, and guided us through every step with professionalism, communication, and genuine care. What truly sets Shae apart is her dedication to her clients. We always felt informed, supported, and confident that we were in the best hands possible. Selling a home can be stressful, but Shae made the entire process smooth and successful. If you are buying or selling in the Beaufort or Lady’s Island area, we cannot recommend the Shae Chambers Helms Team highly enough. They have absolutely set the bar for excellence in real estate."
"After 13 moves across nearly a dozen states, we can confidently say that the Shae Chambers Helms Team at Keller Williams is the best real estate team we have ever worked with. From start to finish, Shae and her team did an outstanding job marketing and selling our home. Their knowledge of Beaufort, Lady’s Island, and every surrounding community is unmatched. Shae understood exactly how to position our home in the market, created incredible exposure, and guided us through every step with professionalism, communication, and genuine care. What truly sets Shae apart is her dedication to her clients. We always felt informed, supported, and confident that we were in the best hands possible. Selling a home can be stressful, but Shae made the entire process smooth and successful. If you are buying or selling in the Beaufort or Lady’s Island area, we cannot recommend the Shae Chambers Helms Team highly enough. They have absolutely set the bar for excellence in real estate."
Courtney Horn
"I am so grateful I found Shae to represent my wife and me with our home sale. We are out-of-state and Shae handled every detail from beginning to end. She is trustworthy, professional, efficient, and she was a Godsend. Very detail oriented and she went way above and beyond in assisting with everything from selling furniture, coordinating repairs and updates to the home and recommendations for estate sales and attorneys! 5 star service all the way! I highly recommend Shae and her team for your next transaction."
"I am so grateful I found Shae to represent my wife and me with our home sale. We are out-of-state and Shae handled every detail from beginning to end. She is trustworthy, professional, efficient, and she was a Godsend. Very detail oriented and she went way above and beyond in assisting with everything from selling furniture, coordinating repairs and updates to the home and recommendations for estate sales and attorneys! 5 star service all the way! I highly recommend Shae and her team for your next transaction."
Seller
"Laura did an outstanding job assisting us with the purchase of our home. We relocated to Beaufort from MN. Prior to our move, we visited Beaufort and Laura showed us the areas we had relayed to her that would be of interest to us. She was right on, as we purchased a home in one of the top two areas we wanted to be! Laura is very personable, responsive, and is truly dedicated to helping you find your perfect home. She is very professional and very caring on a personal level. We would highly recommend her and should we ever be in a situation where we need a professional Real Estate Agent, she will be the person we contact. Laura, thank you for everything you did to help make our cross-country move perfect! We appreciate everything you have done for us and we love our new home!"
"Laura did an outstanding job assisting us with the purchase of our home. We relocated to Beaufort from MN. Prior to our move, we visited Beaufort and Laura showed us the areas we had relayed to her that would be of interest to us. She was right on, as we purchased a home in one of the top two areas we wanted to be! Laura is very personable, responsive, and is truly dedicated to helping you find your perfect home. She is very professional and very caring on a personal level. We would highly recommend her and should we ever be in a situation where we need a professional Real Estate Agent, she will be the person we contact. Laura, thank you for everything you did to help make our cross-country move perfect! We appreciate everything you have done for us and we love our new home!"
Buyer
"How do you spell perfection in a real estate agent ? G R A Y S O N S P U R L O C K . Being a former military family we have purchased and sold our fair amount of homes . From the minute I reached out to Grayson she hit the ground running and never stopped till we landed the right home .Grayson is the perfect mix of professional and personal in an agent . She goes above and beyond the call of duty . There are not enough positive adjectives in the English language to describe our incredible experience with both her and this company. From start to closing absolute perfection."
"How do you spell perfection in a real estate agent ? G R A Y S O N S P U R L O C K . Being a former military family we have purchased and sold our fair amount of homes . From the minute I reached out to Grayson she hit the ground running and never stopped till we landed the right home .Grayson is the perfect mix of professional and personal in an agent . She goes above and beyond the call of duty . There are not enough positive adjectives in the English language to describe our incredible experience with both her and this company. From start to closing absolute perfection."
Annette Thomas
"Shae was absolutely the best in our long distance, 2-year search for 'the home' to move to back in the Low Country. She was patient, calm, assuring and above all, she listened and kept our best interests in mind. We finally found the best spot and had an offer accepted with closing in a short 3 weeks. Then when it came time to do spruce up like paint, floors, cleaning, etc. She had all the contacts right in her phone. Such a wonderful experience!"
"Shae was absolutely the best in our long distance, 2-year search for 'the home' to move to back in the Low Country. She was patient, calm, assuring and above all, she listened and kept our best interests in mind. We finally found the best spot and had an offer accepted with closing in a short 3 weeks. Then when it came time to do spruce up like paint, floors, cleaning, etc. She had all the contacts right in her phone. Such a wonderful experience!"
Buyer
"We have had the pleasure of working with both Laura and Shae for years. The entire group is incredibly knowledgeable of the area, always professional, and deeply committed to finding the best options to meet our changing needs. We highly recommend them to anyone looking for a real estate agent who truly puts their clients first."
"We have had the pleasure of working with both Laura and Shae for years. The entire group is incredibly knowledgeable of the area, always professional, and deeply committed to finding the best options to meet our changing needs. We highly recommend them to anyone looking for a real estate agent who truly puts their clients first."
Kelly S.
"Shae and her team are the absolute best! They were so great to work with. They continually had our best interest at work and helped us every step of the way in our buying process. Shae went above and beyond to assist us as we were purchasing our home from out of state. She went to our walk-throughs and meetings, sent us videos, kept us informed and helped us get what we wanted. I would hire them again and again. Shae was not only personable and great to work with but knowledgeable and helpful."
"Shae and her team are the absolute best! They were so great to work with. They continually had our best interest at work and helped us every step of the way in our buying process. Shae went above and beyond to assist us as we were purchasing our home from out of state. She went to our walk-throughs and meetings, sent us videos, kept us informed and helped us get what we wanted. I would hire them again and again. Shae was not only personable and great to work with but knowledgeable and helpful."
Jennifer H.
"My husband and I began house hunting in January 2025. This was our first home, so we would need a lot of guidance! We met with Grayson Spurlock over a cup of coffee and we were locked in. She accommodated to our schedules, which entailed mostly evening and weekend showings across Beaufort, Ridgeland, and Yemassee. Grayson reassured us through our failed offers that ‘the one’ that was meant for us would come in good timing and she was right! A house listed and we set up a tour 2 days after listing. We fell in love and were ecstatic we found ‘the one’. Grayson sent an offer the same day and advocated and guided us throughout our entire home buying process. We closed and moved in by end of March 2025. We appreciate that Grayson was dedicated to helping us find our home! She is diligent and has followed up after purchase as well, to make sure we are settled and enjoying our new neighborhood. She truly cares about her clients and puts in the time and effort to build a relationship. Grayson and her team at Chambers Helms is who I recommend to anyone purchasing a home!!"
"My husband and I began house hunting in January 2025. This was our first home, so we would need a lot of guidance! We met with Grayson Spurlock over a cup of coffee and we were locked in. She accommodated to our schedules, which entailed mostly evening and weekend showings across Beaufort, Ridgeland, and Yemassee. Grayson reassured us through our failed offers that ‘the one’ that was meant for us would come in good timing and she was right! A house listed and we set up a tour 2 days after listing. We fell in love and were ecstatic we found ‘the one’. Grayson sent an offer the same day and advocated and guided us throughout our entire home buying process. We closed and moved in by end of March 2025. We appreciate that Grayson was dedicated to helping us find our home! She is diligent and has followed up after purchase as well, to make sure we are settled and enjoying our new neighborhood. She truly cares about her clients and puts in the time and effort to build a relationship. Grayson and her team at Chambers Helms is who I recommend to anyone purchasing a home!!"
Kayla Flerchinger
"When the time came to sell our family home, my husband and I made an excellent decision in choosing Grayson to be our realtor! It was important to us that she was sensitive to the emotional difficulty we experienced in leaving our home of many years. Grayson kept us informed and patiently addressed all concerns we had throughout the process. We were also confident that she, as a member of the Chambers Helms Group, had acess to any needed assistance from Shae. Grayson demonstrated a full commitment to the sale and on the best terms. Personally, she was friendly, caring and a delight to work with! We were so pleased that we highly recommend Grayson Spurlock."
"When the time came to sell our family home, my husband and I made an excellent decision in choosing Grayson to be our realtor! It was important to us that she was sensitive to the emotional difficulty we experienced in leaving our home of many years. Grayson kept us informed and patiently addressed all concerns we had throughout the process. We were also confident that she, as a member of the Chambers Helms Group, had acess to any needed assistance from Shae. Grayson demonstrated a full commitment to the sale and on the best terms. Personally, she was friendly, caring and a delight to work with! We were so pleased that we highly recommend Grayson Spurlock."
MaryLouise Kearns Severns
"We loved working with Laura. We were buying our first home and didn't know the ins and outs of the process. She led us through it and helped us buy our first house seamlessly!"
"We loved working with Laura. We were buying our first home and didn't know the ins and outs of the process. She led us through it and helped us buy our first house seamlessly!"
Hayley
"I met Shae & Grayson late 2024 and we talked about the history of Beaufort. I mentioned my brother (Ed Allen) who did a pod cast with Shae which was amazing. Fast forward to January 2025 and I notified Grayson that I was thinking about selling my rental home. There was no pressure at all and we didn't start the process until I was ready. Grayson was very kind and patient with my tenants during the viewing process and explained every detail during the entire journey. This was my first time selling so, it was a learning process that was new to me. Grayson obtained my asking price and the buyer was also pleased. I would definitely recommend the Chambers Helms Group to anyone searching real estate needs."
"I met Shae & Grayson late 2024 and we talked about the history of Beaufort. I mentioned my brother (Ed Allen) who did a pod cast with Shae which was amazing. Fast forward to January 2025 and I notified Grayson that I was thinking about selling my rental home. There was no pressure at all and we didn't start the process until I was ready. Grayson was very kind and patient with my tenants during the viewing process and explained every detail during the entire journey. This was my first time selling so, it was a learning process that was new to me. Grayson obtained my asking price and the buyer was also pleased. I would definitely recommend the Chambers Helms Group to anyone searching real estate needs."
J. Jenkins
"I would like to thank Grayson Spurlock of the chambers helms group for my recent real estate purchase in Beaufort County. I was over 2000 miles away, and with Grayson's help, pictures, videos, and communication I was able to close on the property remotely. It is exactly what I wanted, so, again, thanks Grayson, couldn't have done it without you."
"I would like to thank Grayson Spurlock of the chambers helms group for my recent real estate purchase in Beaufort County. I was over 2000 miles away, and with Grayson's help, pictures, videos, and communication I was able to close on the property remotely. It is exactly what I wanted, so, again, thanks Grayson, couldn't have done it without you."
Michael M.
"This is the most professional realtor team that I have ever experienced. Grayson was absolutely amazing and a delight to work with! She dedicatedly helped my family through the sale of a beloved family home. Grayson is caring, understanding, communicative, and truly went above and beyond, making this difficult process extremely easy. Grayson assisted us in many important ways, as the sale was completed while we were in another state. I completely trust Grayson and if anyone is fortunate to have her as your realtor, know that you will be in the very best hands! I cannot recommend or thank her enough!"
"This is the most professional realtor team that I have ever experienced. Grayson was absolutely amazing and a delight to work with! She dedicatedly helped my family through the sale of a beloved family home. Grayson is caring, understanding, communicative, and truly went above and beyond, making this difficult process extremely easy. Grayson assisted us in many important ways, as the sale was completed while we were in another state. I completely trust Grayson and if anyone is fortunate to have her as your realtor, know that you will be in the very best hands! I cannot recommend or thank her enough!"
Mbeth L.
"I’m not sure how to express how much of a joy it was to work with Grayson at Chambers Helms Group. To say she was exemplary in her service towards us would be an understatement. Grayson was knowledgeable about the area, she was amenable to our last minute requests to see properties, she worked with my indecisiveness with Grace, she served as a liaison between us and our Lender, she was prompt and had such a wonderful spirit. There’s no one else in SC that will represent us in our future real estate transactions."
"I’m not sure how to express how much of a joy it was to work with Grayson at Chambers Helms Group. To say she was exemplary in her service towards us would be an understatement. Grayson was knowledgeable about the area, she was amenable to our last minute requests to see properties, she worked with my indecisiveness with Grace, she served as a liaison between us and our Lender, she was prompt and had such a wonderful spirit. There’s no one else in SC that will represent us in our future real estate transactions."
Leah Kennedy

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