YOUR DREAM. YOUR SPACE. YOUR WAY.

Empowering First-Time Homebuyers in Snohomish and King Counties


Explore my comprehensive step-by-step guide to homeownership and understand the entire process from start to finish. Welcome to a tailored home-buying experience designed to meet your unique needs. Whether you're envisioning a modern condo or a spacious home, I am committed to helping you achieve your real estate goals on your terms. Discover the insights and tools you need to navigate the market with confidence and make informed decisions every step of the way.

SAGE SANDERS

MANAGING BROKER

425-333-1315

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Homeownership

Navigate the Path to Your New Home with Confidence

Step 1:

Hiring a Real Estate Professional

Why This is an Important First Step:

Choosing the right real estate agent is crucial for your home-buying journey. As your advocate, a real estate agent protects your interests and guides you through the entire process with expertise and care.

Key Reasons to Hire the Right Agent:

✅Fiduciary Duties: Your agent acts in your best interest by providing loyalty, confidentiality, and full disclosure while representing you with diligence and integrity.

✅Expert Guidance: A knowledgeable agent offers valuable market insights, effective negotiation, and problem-solving skills to ensure a smooth transaction.

✅Personal Connection: You’ll spend significant time with your agent, so choose someone you like, trust, and feel comfortable with to ensure a positive experience.

Choosing the Right Agent:

Interview multiple agents to compare their styles and expertise, ask key questions about their experience and communication, and trust your instincts to find the best fit.

The right agent is your first step toward finding your dream home.

Step 2:

Pre-Approval with a Loan Officer


Why It’s Important:

Getting pre-approved for a loan helps you understand your budget and makes you a stronger buyer.

How to Get Started:

✅Choose Three or more loan Officers: Compare their rates and services to find the best fit for you.

✅Get Pre-Approved: Submit your financial information and get pre-approved for a loan. This shows sellers you're serious and financially prepared.

✅Compare Offers: Don’t hesitate to get multiple pre-approvals to ensure you're getting the best terms possible.

Not Sure Where to Start?

Click the button below to get a list of trusted local lenders who are great at what they do and ready to help you get started.

Step 3:

Determining Your Wants and Needs

Knowing your wants and needs is essential to finding the right home that suits your lifestyle and goals. A clear understanding of these priorities will streamline your home search and help you make confident decisions.

Why It’s Important:

✅Clarifies Priorities: Identifying what truly matters ensures everyone involved is aligned, making the home-buying process smoother and more focused.

Focuses Your Search: By understanding your must-haves and deal-breakers, you can target homes that genuinely fit your criteria, saving time and effort.

Guides Informed Decisions: Having a clear picture of your preferences helps you choose a home that fits your budget and long-term plans, reducing the risk of buyer’s remorse.

Get Started:

Download my Homebuyer Essentials Checklist

to help define your wants and needs. This tool guides you through key considerations and ensures you're fully prepared for your home search.

Step 4:

The Search Begins

With your criteria established, your real estate agent will help you find the perfect home.

Here’s how the process works:

Set Up MLS Search: Your agent will create a personalized MLS search based on your criteria, sending you listings that match your preferences.

Use the Portal: Review the listings in your portal, marking homes as favorites, possibilities, or discards. This helps your agent understand what you like.

Tour Homes: Start by touring the homes you’ve favorited. Your agent will organize showings and accompany you to view the properties.

Stay Updated: You’ll receive automatic updates on new listings that fit your criteria. If a home interests you, your agent can arrange a virtual or in-person tour.

Refine the Search: After initial tours, your agent will refine the search and suggest additional homes that meet your needs.


A Journey to Your Dream Home:

Your agent will be with you every step of the way, ensuring that you have the best options and opportunities at your fingertips. With their expertise and dedication, you'll soon be opening the door to a home that perfectly suits your needs and lifestyle.

Step 5:

Making an Offer

Congratulations! You’ve found a home you love. Now, it's time to make an offer that stands out.

Here’s how the process works:

✅Determining Your Offer Price: Once you've identified the right home, your real estate agent will prepare a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to help determine a fair market value for the property. This ensures your offer is competitive and realistic.

✅Writing the Offer: Your agent will guide you through crafting an offer that includes essential details such as price, earnest money, closing dates, and contingencies. They'll explain your contractual rights and responsibilities, discuss negotiation strategies, and ensure your terms align with your goals.

✅Negotiating with Sellers: After submitting your offer, your agent will work to negotiate favorable terms on your behalf. Sellers can accept, reject, or counter your offer. Your agent will handle objections, build rapport, and strive to achieve the best outcome for you.

Important Considerations:

Contingencies: Be aware that some sellers prefer fewer contingencies, such as financing or inspection clauses. Having realistic expectations helps in navigating this process smoothly.

Multiple Bids: In competitive situations, sellers may request "highest and best" offers from all buyers. Your agent will help you present the strongest possible offer.

Moving Forward:

Your agent will be with you every step of the way, providing expert advice and support to help you secure your dream home.

Step 6:

Taking Care of Contingencies

Once your offer is accepted, it's time to address the contingencies that safeguard your purchase.

Here's how this step ensures a smooth and secure transaction:

✅Homeowners Association (HOA): If the property is part of an HOA, you'll have the opportunity to review the association's documents. These include rules, regulations, and financials, ensuring you're comfortable with the community's management and guidelines.

✅Title Commitment: You'll receive a Title Insurance Policy, which protects you against ownership disputes. Review this policy carefully to identify any exceptions or issues that may affect your ownership rights.

✅Inspection: If an inspection report isn't provided by the seller, schedule a professional inspection to assess the property's condition. This allows you to identify any necessary repairs or negotiate with the seller for credits or repairs before finalizing the purchase. There is no inspection if you waived the inspection for a multiple bid.

✅Appraisal: An appraisal ensures the property's value aligns with the purchase price. The appraiser will provide an independent evaluation, which helps protect your investment and lender. Ensure all market data is available to support the appraisal process.


Moving Forward:

Handling contingencies is crucial to securing your investment and avoiding potential pitfalls. By addressing each step thoroughly, you'll be well-prepared to finalize your purchase and move confidently towards closing on your new home.

Step 7:

Closing

Closing is the final step in the transaction process, where the ownership of the property is officially transferred to you.

This step involves:

Loan Closing:

Signing Documents: You'll meet with your lender to sign all necessary loan documents, finalizing your mortgage agreement.

✅Securing Funds: The funds from your lender are transferred to the seller, securing the financial aspect of the transaction.

Property Transfer:

Transfer of Ownership: At the real estate closing, you will sign documents that transfer the property’s ownership to you.

Recording the Transaction: The transaction is submitted to the county for final recording, making it official.

Step 8:

Possession

After closing, it's time to take possession of your new home, marking the beginning of your homeownership journey.

Key Handover:

For Resale Homes: Once everything is recorded, you will receive the keys to your new home. Your real estate agent will meet you to celebrate this moment and provide any last-minute details.

✅New Construction: For new construction, you'll conduct a final walkthrough with the builder or construction staff to ensure everything meets your expectations. After confirming that all final items are satisfactory, you'll receive your keys and any necessary remotes.

Last Step:

Congratulations, you're a Homeowner!

And there you have it! You've successfully navigated the home-buying process and achieved your goal of becoming a homeowner. It's time to celebrate this exciting milestone!

Embrace the Moment:

Unpack and Settle In: Begin making your new house a home by unpacking, decorating, and personalizing your space.

Explore Your Community: Get to know your new neighborhood and enjoy the amenities and local attractions.

Ready to Make Your Homeownership Dreams a Reality?

Learn How To Fix Your Credit Today

Meet Sage Sanders

Sage operates at the nexus of real estate expertise and personalized guidance, skillfully navigating the market to connect you with the perfect property or buyer. Drawing on extensive personal experience from owning several homes, Sage leverages her deep knowledge to mentor clients on securing optimal real estate investments.

Trust is the cornerstone of her practice, earned through transparent, knowledge-driven advice. Sage candidly advises when to pass on a purchase or why it’s crucial to upgrade a property before listing. Her clients rely on her to be both authoritative and perceptive, aligning her strategies closely with their needs.

Through "Sage’s University," she empowers her clients with essential insights into the real estate transaction process, blending education with adept problem-solving to tackle any challenge that arises. This comprehensive approach ensures clients are well-prepared for significant transitions and new beginnings.

Sage’s relationship with her clients doesn’t end at closing. She remains a steadfast resource and advisor, maintaining contact through calls, cards, zoom or team meetings, texts, WhatsApp and videos, embodying her commitment to long-term satisfaction and service.

Her brand is Your Dream Your Space Your Way. Clients consider Sage a real estate guardian angel who's protective, wise, and dedicated to protecting their interests.

Meet the Team

Sage Sanders

Managing Broker


LIC#24004668

With over 25 years of experience in real estate, Sage Sanders leverages Coldwell Banker Danforth's cutting-edge technology and market insights to expertly guide buyers, sellers, and investors through seamless transactions. A licensed real estate broker since 1999, Sage has been recognized as a member of the

Coldwell Banker International Diamond Society and President's Circle for multiple years, placing her among the top 5% of agents globally.

Sage's deep industry knowledge, meticulous attention to detail, and strong negotiation skills consistently deliver successful outcomes for her clients. From comprehensive market analysis to ROI-maximizing strategies, Sage ensures that each client’s real estate experience is both profitable and stress-free. Her numerous certifications, including Certified Negotiation Specialist (CNE) and

Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS), underscore her expertise in helping clients achieve their real estate goals. Whether you're buying, selling, or investing, Sage is committed to delivering unparalleled service and results.

Brandice Raybourn

Research and Marketing Manager


LIC#23033742

Brandice Raybourn is our Research and Marketing Manager, dedicated to streamlining our business operations for maximum efficiency. She oversees all research and social media marketing, producing in-depth market reports, analyzing key data, and providing insights that shape our strategic decisions. Brandice also crafts targeted marketing funnels and expertly manages the essential behind-the-scenes tasks that keep us moving forward. Her expertise keeps us ahead of market trends and ensures we consistently deliver outstanding value to our clients.

Sarah Jean Groenink

Transaction Coordinator


LIC# 24009351

Once we reach mutual acceptance, you will be introduced to Sarah Jean Groenink, our cornerstone of transactional excellence. With deep-rooted expertise dating back to 2003, she’s our go-to authority on listings, contracts, and ensuring everything runs smoothly. Sarah Jean handles the logistical side of the process, keeping us on track and hitting all our deadlines. Her meticulous attention to detail and personal touch transforms each transaction into a tailored, stress-free experience. With Sarah Jean on board, you can expect unparalleled service and the peace of mind that everything is under control.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE BUYING BOOK + BONUSES!

Learn How To Fix Your Credit Today

Considering BUYING a Home In Or Around Snohomish County?

BUYER SECRETS

Not Ready Yet... But I Want to Stay Informed

PROPERTY INSIGHTS ONLY

" I created The Complete Guide to Buying Your Snohomish and King Counties Dream Home and the Bonuses so you will have a simple step-by-step guide, and the tools you need to be informed and make the search and buying process as smooth as possible. "

© Copyright 2025. Sage Sanders, Managing Broker with Coldwell Banker Danforth. All Rights Reserved.