Buying 101
We are here to guide you through every twist and turn of the buying process, so that you can sleep easy at night (in a home that you love ♥).
Our Buying Process
The Buying Process has several different steps. It is usually not as simple as finding a house, writing an offer, taking money to closing, and moving in. Finding the right home, in the right area, at a price within your budget is not necessarily easy, but the agents at Urban Pacific Real Estate are up to the challenge! Although there are many different steps and each agent will handle each step differently, below is a general outline of the buyer process.
Your home should support your life today—and tomorrow. We help you focus on what truly matters and avoid costly compromises.
1Define Your Priorities
We’ll connect you with a trusted lender to confirm your budget. A pre-approval strengthens your offer and sets clear expectations.
2Understand Your Financing Options
The best homes move fast. Our team tracks new listings daily so you don’t miss opportunities.
3Stay Ahead of the Market
Price is only part of the equation. Terms, timing, and presentation all matter—and we handle it strategically.
4Write a Strong Offer
Praise for Urban Pacific
"Iolanthe, you are a true professional. This entire experience can be so overwhelming and you walked us through every step of the way from selling our home, believing in us, our vision for a new home and all the business details in between. Your expertise in this field is outstanding and your patience is commendable. Thank you Iolanthe. It was our p… leasure working with you. You were always there for us."
Patricia and Gerald
Kirkland, WA
"Shawna helped us sell our townhome. Not only did she help us sell it well over our asking price, we actually received an offer the first day it was listed.
Shawna also helped us find our new home. In both the selling and buying processes, Shawna was helpful, informative and patient throughout. She went above and beyond the normal duties of a r… ealtor! We don’t plan on selling/buying anytime soon, but we will definitely contact Shawna if that time comes again!"
Kaye S.
"The idea of buying a house was very exciting, but at the same time, very overwhelming, it’s a huge milestone. Shawna made the entire process enjoyable and made sure she explained to us what to expect from the onset. She did a wonderful job getting us to seriously think about what we wanted in a home, and was always available when we wanted to … take a look at homes, day or night. She made house hunting something we looked forward to, not something we felt we had to do. From start to finish, the entire process – from searching, submitting offers/counter-offers, inspections and closing was made as simple as possible because of Shawna’s know-how and enthusiasm.
Shawna stayed in constant contact, providing information about new listings, as well as expertise and insight about what we may want to steer clear of. 10 years ago, my husband was out of town, and I received from her a new listing of houses on the market. Not wanting to jump the gun, but not wanting to miss the boat, I called Shawna while I was at work about one home in particular that seemed to have everything we’d indicated we’d wanted – location, large rooms and a huge yard. Immediately, she got the ball rolling and arranged for me to take a look. We’re in the house a decade later raising our family, and couldn’t be happier and more thankful to Shawna for all of her help, effort and guidance."
Rachel S.
"Shawna was very helpful and very patient. We had many questions throughout the entire process and she very informative and able to handle all of our questions. She is honest and sincere and I appreciated her intelligence! She made stressful situations very manageable and took away all my stress and was able to find a home that was perfect for our … family. I will defiantly be calling her when I’m ready to make my next purchase!"
Arleyna
"Whether you are buying or selling a home, I would highly recommend Urban Pacific Real Estate. Their talent, integrity and professionalism allowed us to find our perfect dream home at the very best price."
Robyn
"All we I can say is WOW! We were very impressed with Iolanthe’s professionalism, personal attention, and marketing strategies. Iolanthe is a first class, high caliber, real estate professional. We received her personal attention almost on a daily basis. She was always available for questions, and made us feel like we were her only client. She … is gifted, talented and knows her market. Our home sold within 12 days and we found our dream home within one week. We were totally impressed and would recommend Iolanthe to anyone who wants to sell their home quickly and not leave money on the table."
Shirley and Len
"We had the pleasure of working with Iolanthe for the sale of our previous home and the purchase of our existing home. It is a challenge to be concise in describing all Iolanthe has done for our family. Iolanthe has the unique ability to make us feel as if we were her only client. She is a true professional who cares very much for her clients she s… erves and delivers on everything she commits to. We recommend Iolanthe to anyone buying or selling a home!"
Jeff and Theresa
"As a first time home buyer, Shawna was great at explaining what I needed to do. She talked me through the whole process. When we would look at a property, she would ask me how I would rank it on a scale of 1 to 10, and then what I liked and didn’t like about it. It really helped us both to narrow down what I was looking for. I would highly recommen… d Shawna!"
C.L
"Iolanthe was marvelous. Every detail taken care of professionally and completely. She is masterful in knowing how to make a house look its best. We feel her use of a home staging consultant and professional photographer really made a difference in the quickness and price of our sale. She is also personable and wonderful to work with. We would defin… itely work with her again."
Brandon & Cynthia
"Iolanthe gets it. This is a career for her, not a job. She focuses on continuing education, learning current market trends, house staging, and everything else involved with real estate. As a self-employed person, I spend countless hours learning my craft and just trying to be the best at what I do. I believe it is the best way, long term, to hav… e a successful career. Iolanthe does the same, which is why I can appreciate her business. I’ve encountered many other brokers so involved with advertising and recognition; they ignore the fact that being the best at what you do is the most effective advertising. My father and I have a real estate investment business, and it is safe to say Iolanthe is a vital part of why we are successful at finding the right homes. Highly recommended Iolanthe for a true professional."
Marcus
"Our experience with Shawna was as expected…PROFESSIONAL! She helped me purchase my third home. This time with my family. She has a great personality to work with and is very knowledgeable in her field. She’s a true professional in every sense of the word. She is very responsive whenever we needed to connect via text, email or in person. Best of al… l, her strong relationship skills helped when she SOLD our home and helped us PURCHASE a new home. She negotiated and managed both buyer and sellers in our process. And did all this before the new school year! This is not an easy task to manage and ensure all 3 parties are agreeable!
I would highly recommend Shawna to anyone who’s looking to sell or buy a home. She won’t fail you, that’s a promise!"
Marly M.
"Buying a home in this market can be stressful. There is the process of finding the “perfect home” and then there is the process of actually purchasing the place. Shawna’s expertise and guidance were instrumental in getting me into my home. She walked me through the different stages. Whenever I felt discouraged, she was there to get my spirits up. W… hen I was ready to put a bid on a few places, she asked me all sorts of questions to help me figure out if the place was the one for me. In the bidding process, she worked hard to get me the best deal possible while still being competitive. She was knowledgeable when it came to reviewing and filling out the paperwork. She recommended a great inspector who was very thorough. She was responsive. Whenever I had a question or I had to look at a place she got back to me quickly and she checked in often. Most importantly, Shawna genuinely cared about finding me the perfect place. And because of her help, I was able to find mine."
Shelly and John M.
"We loved working with Shawna! We were facing a time crunch and needed to find a home in a couple of weeks. We got Shawna’s number one afternoon and went to see our first house with her that same night! Each day after then, Shawna was in constant communication with us about what we needed to do next. This was our first purchase together, and we didn… ’t know where to start. She helped us avoid a bidding war and got our offer accepted within one day of the property being listed! She was even helpful enough to connect us with the seller after the deal was closed to follow up about some light repair work. Most importantly, she’s very sweet and relatable!"
The Conner’s
"Without her staging experience I don’t think I would have ever gotten my house in showroom conditions. Her recommendations were spot on and her handling of all the negotiations and transactions made for a very stress free environment. She kept me informed at each step and explained all the paperwork in detail. I would have no problem recommendin… g Shawna to handle any realty related deal."
Cynthia and James
"Top Shelf! Shawna knows the business and the Seattle Metro area. House sold in 6 Days. She took care of and paid attention to all the minor details. Went far beyond the scope of work while we were away on vacation. Negotiating skills were impressive as the offers started coming in. Closing was seamless and she kept us up to date during every step o… f the process. 5 STARS!!!!"
Francis W.
"Shawna helped me purchase my first home. She was attentive, energetic, very knowledgeable about the neighborhoods and a great negotiator when I finally found the right house for me!"
Lara P.
"The service and personal attention I received from Iolanthe was exceptional. She is truly a high-caliber professional and his knowledge of the local market and negotiating skills were key in ensuring that I received the best offer for my home. Regardless of whether you are buying or selling, I would highly recommend Iolanthe. I could not have ask… ed for a better Broker to facilitate the process of selling my home."
Mai Ling
"After spending more than two years trying to sell our house, we thought it would never sell. We contacted Iolanthe for one last try with a new broker. Several of her past clients highly recommended her to us. What a difference!! Iolanthe actually had a marketing plan that worked. She clearly defined a process to follow that included some effort on … our part to stage the house. She really went to work, bringing in top notch advisers and actively marketing the property. Her pricing advice and negotiation skills were spot on. The results speak for themselves. The house sold in 17 days and within 2% of our advertised price. Iolanthe stayed with the sale, advising us every step of the way through closing. We are extremely happy. Thank you, Iolanthe."
Stella and Dan
"After having my home on the market for six months and not receiving any offers, I decided to switch my home sale over to Iolanthe. She immediately provided her professional opinion on what was needed to sell my house. Not only did she have a lot of people going through the house but I also got an offer after a short time. I was very impressed wi… th the job Iolanthe had done. If I ever sell or buy a house again, I will be contacting Iolanthe!"
Kathleen
LOCAL SEATTLE AREA LISTINGS
Buying FAQs
To do the best job for you, your agent will need the best information you can provide. This would include such things as:
- preferred price range
- number of bedrooms / bathrooms
- style of home (single-story, two-story, etc.)
- size of yard
- preferred school districts
- geographical areas / neighborhoods of interest
- special needs / special interests which your home needs to accommodate
Your agent will have additional questions for you about the type of property you are looking for and how you like to work.
New homes come on the market every day and your agent will work with you to determine how often you want to receive updates on available homes, and by what method. Clients using email can receive automatic updates from most MLS systems as soon as new listings are entered and processed.
Yes, provided your agent is a member of the MLS where the property is listed (in our case, the NWMLS). Most agents in our area are members of the NWMLS regardless of what company they are with.
With the advent of the online home search engines, many buyers have begun searching for – and often finding – properties of interest while working with an agent. Simply contact your agent with the address or the MLS number of the property in question and your agent will take it from there.
Yes. However, when meeting the agent hosting the open house it’s best if you immediately identify yourself as working with another agent so you can make sure your interests are represented by your agent.
The compensation that a buyer’s agent (also called the “selling agent”) receives typically comes from the seller’s proceeds and is a percentage of the total commission charged by the listing company. In most cases, there is no cost for a buyer to be represented by an agent.