The Smart Buyer's Guide:
What to Know Before You Buy a Home
A free live session walking through exactly how home buying works — from getting financially ready to holding the keys — so you can decide if and when buying makes sense for you. No pressure, no pitch.
Join the WaitlistOur goal today isn’t to convince you that you should buy a home. It’s to help you understand the process so you can decide if and when buying makes sense for you.— Jenn, Susi & Jessica, Legacy Homes & Estates
Four Stages, One Hour
Prepare
What buying actually costs, and how to talk to a lender before you're ready to commit to anything.
Search
Defining what you actually want, testing neighborhoods, and searching online without sabotaging your file.
Offer
What a buyer's agent really does, how offers get built, and why price isn't the whole story.
Close
What happens between an accepted offer and the keys in your hand — inspections, appraisal, and closing.
Six things worth an hour of your time
This isn't a sales pitch dressed up as education. It's the process, explained plainly, by the people who walk clients through it every week.
You don't need 20% down
What a home purchase actually costs beyond the down payment — earnest money, inspections, appraisal, closing costs — and why a lender conversation early on isn't a commitment to buy.
Don't just tour the house. Test-drive the neighborhood.
How to figure out what you actually want before you start scrolling listings, and how to investigate a community before you decide you want to live there.
Before you buy the house, don't buy the furniture
What can quietly derail a loan while you're under contract — and the handful of financial moves worth avoiding until after closing.
The highest offer isn't always the best offer
What a buyer's agent actually does before and after you find "the one," and how an experienced agent structures an offer to protect you, not just win.
From accepted offer to keys in hand
A plain-language walk through deposit, inspections, appraisal, loan approval, final walkthrough, and what to actually expect at each step.
Five things to do before you start looking
A simple starting checklist so that whenever you're ready — this month or next year — you already know your first move.
This is the kind of clarity you'll walk away with
Not vague advice — actual numbers. We'll break down what a real purchase looks like line by line, so "how much do I need?" stops being a guessing game.
| Down payment | Depends on loan program |
| Earnest money | Typically credited toward purchase |
| Inspection | ~$500–$800 |
| Appraisal | ~$600–$800 |
| Closing costs | Loan-specific |
| Reserves | Don't forget these |
This session is for you if you are…
Be the First to Know
We haven't locked the date yet — join the waitlist and we'll notify you the moment it's scheduled, plus send helpful buyer resources in the meantime. No pressure, ever.
Your Hosts
Susi Vickery, Realtor® · (619) 922-2801 · DRE# 01710511
Jennifer Burroughs, Realtor® · (858) 229-2965 · DRE# 01400503
Jessica Adams, Realtor® · (760) 715-6434 · DRE# 01986731
Legacy Homes & Estates
Brokered by eXp Realty of California, Inc.
Serving San Diego & Temecula
Trusts@LegacyHomesandEstates.net
Specialties
Luxury Residential
Trust & Probate Sales
Buyer Representation