Houston Home Buying Resources
Get our comprehensive guide to the homebuying process. We also included maps, neighborhood information, mortgage tips, resources & more!
A home purchase is one of the largest investments you’ll make in your life.
While an exciting process, finding the right home in Houston can be a bit challenging. This is even more so for first-time homebuyers.
With the right resources, you can have a smooth and hassle-free home purchase experience.
Our team, the Houston Properties Team, created a free home buyer guide kit to help you with the home-buying process.
- View all Houston Homes For Sale
- View all Houston Lofts For Sale
- View all Houston Condos For Sale
- Step by Step Guide To Buying a New Home
- Free Houston Relocation and Homebuyer Kit
- Top Houston Mortgage Provider Tips & Resources
- Sellers: 6 Reasons to Sell Your Home Now
- Top 10 To-Do's For First-Time Home Buyers
- How To Win A Home Bidding War
- Houston Realtor - Paige Martin
Curious to know which Houston home is best for you? On the lookout for a specific home in any of Houston's neighborhoods? We've got you. Contact Paige Martin at [email protected], ranked #1 Agent with Keller Williams in Texas and #5 Worldwide.
Table of Contents
- Top 10 Do's and Top 5 Don'ts For First Time Home Buyer Houston
- Top 10 To-Do's For First-Time Houston Home Buyers
- Top 5 Common First Time Home Buyer Houston Mistakes
- The Best Houston Realtor to Sell Your Home
Top 10 Do's and Top 5 Don'ts For First Time Home Buyer Houston
Buying a home within the best neighborhoods in Houston can be very tricky. With over $1B in real estate sales, the Houston Properties Team is the #1 Boutique Real Estate Team in Houston.
With around 200,000 jobs and a 3.2% job growth expected annually for the next five years, it's easy to see why over 4,000 people relocate to Houston every year.
As the energy, education, and healthcare sectors continue to strengthen and large companies like Chevron and Exxon move operations here, Houston continues its strong growth.
Forbes magazine recently named Houston the #1 Healthiest Real Estate Market in the country, and our region continues to win awards for consistent real estate growth.
Get your free first-time homebuyer Houston kit below with more resources, information, maps, tools, and guides on how to be smart in the current real estate market.
Top 10 To-Do's For First-Time Houston Home Buyers
“Paige Martin is the best Houston Realtor. She is highly experienced and very knowledgeable. Paige and The Houston Properties Team made our buying experience an enjoyable one, not only for us, but for our daughter, son-in-law and several of our friends. We have bought and sold many houses, and Paige has been the best realtor we have ever worked with. We highly recommend her.” – Jeremy & Lynn Greene
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Be picky but realistic. There is no perfect home. Find the balance between your needs and wants and how much you can afford to pay for the home.
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Do your homework before you start looking. Decide specifically what features you want in a home and which are most important to you.
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Get your finances in order. Review your credit report and be sure you have enough money to cover the down payment and closing costs.
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Don't wait to get a loan. Talk to a lender and get pre-qualified for a mortgage before you start looking.
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Don't ask too many people for opinions. It will drive you crazy. Select one or two people to turn to if you feel you need a second opinion.
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Decide when you could move. Consider these: When is your lease up? Are you allowed to sublet? When is your “relocating to Houston” date?
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Think long-term. Are you looking for a starter house with the idea of moving up in a few years or do you hope to stay in this home longer? This decision may dictate what type of home you'll buy as well as the type of mortgage terms that suit you best.
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Don't let yourself be “house poor”. If you max yourself out to buy the biggest home you can afford, you'll have no money left for maintenance or decoration or to save money for other financial goals.
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Don't be naive. Insist on a home inspection and if possible get a warranty from the seller to cover defects within one year.
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Get help. Hire a realtor who specializes in helping people looking to relocate to Houston. You need a buyer representative. Unlike a listing agent, whose first duty is to the seller, a buyer's representative is working only for you.
Top 5 Common First Time Home Buyer Houston Mistakes
Contact Paige Martin, head of the Houston Properties Team & Broker Associate at [email protected] or 713-425-4194 for help buying or selling a Houston home.
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Don't lack curiosity. First-time Houston home buyers that don't ask enough questions more often than not miss out on the best deals available.
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Don't second guess too much. First-time Houston home buyers that don't make quick decisions end up watching someone else buy the house they want.
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Don't pick the wrong realtor. First-time Houston home buyers that don't find the right Houston real estate agent will have a hard time getting the best options.
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Don't over-haggle. First-time Houston home buyers that don't do enough to make their offer look good to a seller usually lose out to other buyers.
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Don't be too hasty. First-time Houston home buyers that don't think about resale before they buy. The average first-time buyer only stays in a home for only three to four years.
The Best Houston Realtor to Sell Your Home
The Houston Properties Team has a well-defined structure based on the individual strengths of each member. Each member is a specialist in their role – which is why our homes sell faster and for more money than average.
Paige Martin, Broker Associate with Keller Williams Realty, and the Houston Properties Team are ranked among the top residential Realtors in the world.
They have been featured on TV and in dozens of publications including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, Reuters, Fox News in the Morning, Money Magazine, Houston Business Journal, Houstonia, and Houston Chronicle.
Paige Martin was just ranked as the #5 agent in the world with Keller Williams, completing over $1 Billion in Houston residential real estate sales.
Her recent awards include:
– 2021 Best Real Estate Teams in America, RealTrends.com
– 2021: Top 100 Women Leaders in Real Estate of 2021
– 2021: America’s Top 100 Real Estate Agents
– 2021: Top Real Estate Team (Houston Properties Team), Houston Business Journal
– 2021: Best Houston Real Estate Team, Best of Reader’s Choice
– 2021: Top Real Estate Team (Houston Properties Team), Houston Business Journal
– 2021: #1 Real Estate Team, Keller Williams Memorial
– 2020: America’s Best Real Estate Teams, Best of America Trends
– 2020: Best Houston Real Estate Team, Best of Reader’s Choice
– 2020: Top Real Estate Team (Houston Properties Team), Houston Business Journal
– 2020: #6 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Worldwide
– 2020: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Texas (Top Keller Williams Realtor)
– 2020: #1 Real Estate Team, Keller Williams Memorial
- 2019: Top Residential Realtors in Houston, Houston Business Journal
- 2019: America’s Best Real Estate Agents, RealTrends.com
- 2019: #5 Individual Agent, KW Worldwide
- 2019: #1 Individual Agent, KW Texas
- 2018: #5 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Worldwide
- 2018: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Texas
- 2018: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Houston
- 2018: America’s Best Real Estate Agents, RealTrends.com
- 2018: Top 25 Residential Realtor in Houston, Houston Business Journal
- 2018: Texas’ Most Influential Realtors
- 2017: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Texas
- 2017: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Houston
- 2017: #10 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Worldwide
- 2017: America’s Best Real Estate Agents, RealTrends.com
- 2017: Top 25 Residential Realtor in Houston, Houston Business Journal
- 2017: Texas’ Most Influential Realtors
- 2016: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Texas
- 2016: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Houston
- 2016: #20 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Worldwide
- 2016: Texas’ Most Influential Realtors
- 2016: Top 25 Residential Realtor in Houston, HBJ
- 2016: Five Star Realtor, Featured in Texas Monthly
- 2016: America’s Best Real Estate Agents, RealTrends.com
- 2015: #9 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, United States
- 2015: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Texas
- 2015: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Houston
- 2015: America’s Best Real Estate Agents, RealTrends.com
- 2015: Top 25 Residential Realtor in Houston, HBJ
- 2015: Five Star Realtor, Texas Monthly Magazine
- 2014: America’s Best Real Estate Agents, RealTrends.com
- 2014: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams Memorial
...in addition to over 318 additional awards.
Paige also serves a variety of non-profits, and civic and community boards. She was appointed by the mayor of Houston to be on the downtown TIRZ board.
Benefits Of Working With The Houston Properties Team
Our team, composed of distinguished and competent Houston luxury realtors, has a well-defined structure based on the individual strengths of each member.
We find team approach as the most effective way to sell homes. We have dedicated people doing staging, marketing, social media, open houses, and showings. Each Houston Properties Team member is a specialist in their role—which is why our homes sell faster and for more money than average.
The benefits of working with a team include:
- the ability to be in two or three places at one time; a member can handle showings, while another answer calls
- collective time and experience of members
- targeted advice and marketing of agent expert in your area
- competitive advantage by simply having more resources, more ideas, and more perspectives
- a “checks and balances” system; selling and buying a home in Houston is an intensely complex process
- more people addressing field calls and questions from buyers and agents to facilitate a faster, successful sale
- efficient multi-tasking; one agent takes care of inspections and repair work, while another agent focuses on administrative details
- multiple marketing channels using members’ networks
- constant attention: guaranteed focus on your home and your transaction
- lower risk for mistakes. Multiple moving parts increase oversights. A team approach handles these “parts” separately
- flexibility in negotiation and marketing
- better management of document flow
- increased foot traffic through more timely and effective showing schedule coordination; and
- increased sphere of influence and exposure to more potential buyers.
To meet all the award-winning members of the Houston Properties Team, please go here.
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- Hurricane Preparation Tips: How to Survive a Hurricane
