Hello, and welcome to YourFirstHouse.com! If you're here, you're probably considering buying a house. Well, we are Mercer Island Realty Inc. on Mercer Island, and we've built this web site to help answer your questions.

The process of buying a house can seem really scary. You know there's a lot of paperwork involved, and a lot of vocabulary that might sound like a foreign language. A lot of people don't realize that they've got the financial resources to buy, or may have reasons they think they should continue renting. If you take a little time exploring this Web site, however, you'll find answers to many of your questions, and hopefully the buying process will seem a little less intimidating.

You can either start at the beginning and work your way through, or skip to the parts that most pertain to you. As you're reading, you'll notice that there are lots of underlined words - some indicate additional resources available online, and others provide definitions of terminology from our glossary.

I. Why should I consider buying a home?
This section talks about some of the benefits of home ownership, and also helps you calculate if you're financially ready to purchase a home.

II. Okay - I'm ready. What do I look for in a home?
Here, you'll find information about how to make your home search the most productive and efficient.

III. I've found a home I like - now what?
This is the part that most people are afraid of. Here, you'll find information about the process of negotiating an offer on a home, obtaining financing, and details about the closing process.

IV. My offer has been accepted - now what do I do?
This section covers getting your financing all lined up, and talks a bit about the closing process. 

V. I've got more questions. Can you help me?
Absolutely. Use this form to send me a quick email, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

VI. I have a friend/potential client I'd like you to talk to. Can you give them a call?
Definitely! Thanks to my national network of contacts, I can help buyers all across the country. Just use this handy form to send me a little bit of information about them, and I'll contact them right away!

VII. How can I learn this vocabulary!?
If you're feeling really adventurous, you can sit down and read this glossary of real estate terminology. Most likely, though, you'll find it more useful for looking up words you don't recognize.

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