The first purchase is the most important one to get right. Every step here is built from the guidance Nicole wishes someone had given her at 24.
"When I bought my first home at 24, I was scared and had no guidance. So now I give my
first-time buyers the one thing I did not have: someone in their corner."
Nicole Elizabeth Yaeger
No. 01 · First home, first bloom
Your path to the keys
Six steps, and someone holding your hand through all of them
01
Get your finances ready
Check your credit, save for your down payment and closing costs, and get pre-approved by a local lender. The pre-approval letter is what makes your offer real.
02
Learn what your budget actually buys
In Ann Arbor, the same dollar buys very different things on different blocks. We set a realistic range and honest expectations before you fall for anything.
03
Build your must-have list
Location, size, schools, yard, parking, light. Rank it, because almost every first purchase involves a trade, and knowing yours ahead of time is everything.
04
Tour with an honest guide
I will point out what matters, what is cosmetic, and what is a future problem, so you compare homes fairly instead of falling for the best-staged one.
05
Make a strong offer, then protect it
We bid with strategy, not emotion, then shepherd you through the inspection, appraisal, and financing with no dropped balls and no surprises.
06
Close, get the keys, settle in
A calm, coordinated closing day, then the best part: your first night in a place that is truly yours. And I am still a call away afterward.
