Buying a home in the Bay Area, step by step

Most buyers start by touring houses. With me, you start by learning how the money works, because the house you lose is usually the one you weren't ready to write an offer on.

I'm Chaitali (CeCe) Cherian of KeysWithCeCe. I'm a REALTOR® with eXp Realty and a licensed loan officer, and I run every purchase in four stages. I call them R.E.A.L.

• Ready: your financing picture and our agreement are in place before the first showing.
• Educated: you know what your budget buys where you want to live, before you fall for a home outside it.
• Aligned: we search on your real criteria, so you see fewer homes and better ones.
• Locked: the offer, the contingencies, escrow, and closing, run so the ending is calm.

You walk away with keys and a payment you chose on purpose. Before real estate I spent 20 years in software engineering and program management, so I run your purchase like a project: a plan, a timeline, and a backup plan for the parts that can go sideways.

This is the stage that saves people months. Knowing what you can borrow is not the same as knowing what you want to spend every month, and the second number is the one that decides how the next few years feel.

Many first-time buyers think they need 20% down. Plenty of loan programs ask for less, and some buyers qualify for down payment assistance. What fits you depends on your income, your credit, and the home, subject to underwriting approval. We also go over what a seller is allowed to pay toward your costs, because a credit written into the offer can change what you bring to closing.

Then we look at where your number works. A budget that buys a condo in one city may buy a single-family home in another, and I'll show you both sides of that trade before you choose. You'll leave this stage with a price range you understand, not one somebody handed you.

Already own a home and need to sell to buy? The timing is the hard part. I explain how I line up the sale and the purchase on my selling page.

The offer. When you find the one, I write an offer built around your numbers, including any credits from the seller. With it comes an earnest money deposit, which shows the seller you're serious. In most of the Bay Area my buyers put down about 3% of the price. On the outskirts of Tracy, around 2% is common. The deposit goes to the escrow company, not to the seller, and it is due within 3 business days after the contract is signed.

Contingencies. My buyers keep the standard contingencies in the California purchase agreement: inspection, appraisal, and loan. Those periods give you time to inspect the home, confirm the value, and finalize your loan before you commit. For a condo with HOA issues, I write in longer contingency periods so there's time to review the HOA documents properly.

Escrow and title. In California, closing runs through escrow. One title company handles both the escrow and the title work. On the buyer side I try to choose the escrow company, and when the listing agent strongly prefers their own, I work with theirs.

Closing. You review and sign your documents, your loan funds, the sale records with the county, and you get your keys. When I'm also your loan officer, I'm watching the dates in one place instead of two.

This page describes my general process. It is not legal, tax, or lending advice. Ready to start? Send me a message and our first conversation will be about the money, not the listings.