Buying Your First Home in Westchester? Start Here.

Buying your first home is a big milestone. It’s exciting! It can also be emotional and overwhelming. If you’re like most first-time buyers, you’ve probably already spent plenty of time browsing homes online. You’ve imagined yourself in a bright kitchen, pictured your furniture in the living room or thought about what it would be like to finally have a backyard.

That’s the fun part.

But a successful home search starts well before your first open house. After helping buyers navigate the Westchester real estate market for years, I’ve found that preparation can make an enormous difference—not only in your ability to compete for a home, but in how confident you feel throughout the process.

Whether you’re relocating from New York City or already live in the area and are ready to become a homeowner, here’s what I want you to know before you begin.

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Check out my Ask Me Anything: Advice for First-Time Buyers from NYC

First Things First: Get Your Finances in Order

Before you start scheduling house tours, you need a clear picture of what you can comfortably afford. As I often tell my clients, you have to know what a bank will lend you. That starts with meeting with a trusted mortgage lender.

A lender will review your income, assets, employment and credit to help you understand your buying power. Sometimes buyers discover they have more flexibility than they expected. Perhaps a parent is contributing to the down payment, which means they need to borrow less and may be able to present a stronger offer.

And remember: the purchase price isn’t the only number you need to plan for.

Closing costs can be a surprise for first-time buyers. In addition to your down payment, you’ll need to have additional funds available to get to the closing table.

What Can Buyer Closing Costs Include?

Depending on the property and how you’re financing it, costs may include:

• Title insurance and title-related charges
• Mortgage recording tax
• Lender and bank fees
• Attorney fees
• New York State mansion tax on purchases of $1 million or more 

The exact amount will vary, so talk through the numbers with your lender and attorney early. You don’t want to find the right house and only then realize you haven’t accounted for the full cost of buying it.

Knowing what you can borrow—and how much cash you’ll actually need to buy—gives you a much better starting point.

Pre-Approval vs. Pre-Commitment

There’s also an important distinction I like first-time buyers to understand:

Pre-Approval	Pre-Commitment
Provides an estimate of what you may qualify for	Involves a more comprehensive financial review
A good first step	Can put you in a stronger position when making an offer
Requires less documentation upfront	Much of your financial documentation has already been reviewed

Depending on your lender, you may be able to go beyond a basic pre-approval and complete more of the financial review upfront. Whenever possible, I encourage buyers to take the extra step toward a pre-commitment. In a competitive Westchester market, doing more of that work upfront can put you in a stronger position when it’s time to make an offer. 

Think Beyond Your First Home

Once you understand what you can afford, it’s time to think about what you need from your first home—not just today, but a few years from now.

I often ask buyers to think about where they see themselves now, a few years from now, and for the long-term. Maybe you’re a young professional purchasing your first condo. Maybe you’re newly married and thinking about starting a family. Or perhaps you’re leaving New York City and looking forward to having more space and a backyard.

You don’t need to have the next ten years mapped out. But it helps to look a little ahead.

Ask yourself:

• How often will I commute into New York City?
• Could my space needs change in the next few years?
• Are schools important now—or might they be later?
• How important are walkability and access to the train?
• How much home maintenance do I want to take on?
• Do I want a condo, townhome or single-family home?

Those answers will help you narrow down not only the kind of home you’re looking for, but where you should be looking. Westchester offers very different choices from one town—and even one neighborhood—to the next. Understanding your priorities early makes it much easier to focus your search.

Not sure where to begin? Read “Which Westchester Town Is Right for You?” for a closer look at finding a community that fits.

Surround Yourself With Good People

First-time buyers are sometimes surprised by how many people become involved in a real estate transaction.

There’s your lender and Realtor, of course. But once you have an accepted offer, you’ll also be working with an attorney and home inspector and, depending on the property, potentially contractors or other specialists.

Here’s the basic team:

Professional	What They Do
Mortgage lender	Helps determine your budget and financing options
Realtor	Guides your search, advises you on offers and negotiations, and coordinates the transaction
Real estate attorney	Reviews contracts and represents your legal interests
Home inspector	Evaluates the condition of the property
Specialists	Provide additional expertise on roofing, mold, wells, septic systems and other issues when needed

Part of my job is connecting those dots. If you already have an attorney or lender you trust, that’s great. If you don’t, I can provide several local recommendations and let you decide who feels like the best fit.

I feel strongly about having experienced professionals around you. As I tell my clients, you wouldn’t do your own surgery or represent yourself in court. You need a team of people who know their roles, communicate with one another and know how to get you to the closing table.

Don’t Let the Photos Make the Decision for You

Searching for homes online is useful—and fun. Just remember what those beautiful photos are designed to do.

“What you see online is what the broker and seller want you to see.”

And that’s not a criticism. That’s good marketing. The purpose of those photos is to entice you to come take a look. 

The broker is obliged to answer your questions at an open 

Once you’re there, you begin to understand the things a screen can’t tell you. 

• How close is the house to the road? 
• How deep is the backyard?
• Does the street feel busy?
• Does the layout work the way you thought it would?

I’ve seen buyers change their minds in both directions after walking through the door. That’s why I encourage first-time buyers to use online searches to identify possibilities, not make decisions.

Ask Questions While You’re There

You don’t need to walk into an open house pretending to be a home inspector. There will be time for a professional inspection if you decide to move forward.

But you should ask questions, such as:

• Has the home had any significant repairs or upgrades in the last five to ten years? 
• Has there been a major insurance claim? 
• Have there been any significant issues with flooding or water?
• Are there improvements or changes to the property that I should know about?

The listing agent represents the seller, not you, so keep that distinction in mind. But asking thoughtful questions can give you useful information and help you understand what you may want to investigate further if you decide to pursue the house.

Think of the open house as your first opportunity to get beyond the photographs. The inspection comes later—and that’s when you bring in the professionals to really look under the hood.

Preparation Helps You Compete With Confidence

Westchester continues to have limited inventory in many sought-after communities. When a well-priced property comes to market, there may be several interested buyers.

That can sound intimidating when you’ve never bought a home before. But being competitive doesn’t mean making impulsive decisions. If you’ve already worked through your financing, know your priorities and have a team in place, you can evaluate an opportunity and decide how aggressively you want to pursue it.

That’s a very different experience from trying to figure everything out while an offer deadline is approaching.

The Inspection Found Something. Now What?

Here’s something every first-time buyer should know: almost every home inspection finds something.

Homes require maintenance. Even a beautifully cared-for property may have an aging roof, an older mechanical system or something that needs repair. The purpose of an inspection isn’t to give a house a passing or failing grade. It’s to help you understand what you’re buying.

Depending on what comes up, we may bring in a roofer, engineer, mold specialist, septic inspector or another expert to take a closer look. Sometimes an issue becomes part of a negotiation. Sometimes it’s simply something you’ll want to budget for down the road.

This is where experience can help put things in perspective. I help my clients identify the challenges and potential solutions. The goal is to understand the issue and make a thoughtful decision about what it means for you.

How Much House Do You Really Want to Take On?

Price and square footage aren’t the only considerations when choosing a home. There’s also the question of how much work you’re willing to do once you own it.

A house that needs updating can offer an opportunity to create something that’s truly yours—and potentially build equity along the way. But renovations require money, patience and time.

Turnkey Home	Fixer-Upper
Ready to enjoy immediately	Opportunity to customize
Fewer projects at the outset	Potential to build equity
Generally less disruption	Requires a renovation budget
More predictable after move-in	Takes time and project management

I’ve seen people create tremendous value by renovating homes. But that doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for everyone. You have to have the stomach and the time for it.

Think realistically about your life. If you’re changing jobs, starting a family and moving out of the city all at once, managing a major renovation may not be how you want to spend your first year in Westchester.

Your First-Time Buyer Gut Check

Before you get serious about a property, ask yourself:

• Do I understand what I can comfortably afford?
• Have I thought about where I want to be in three to five years?
• Does this location work for my everyday life?
• Am I comfortable with the condition of the home?
• Do I understand what I’ll need to spend after I buy it?
• If renovations are needed, do I realistically want to take them on?
• Do I have people I trust advising me?

You don’t need every answer on day one. But by the time you’re ready to make an offer, you should have a pretty good sense of where you stand.

You Don’t Have to Know Everything Yet

One of my favorite parts of working with first-time buyers is watching their confidence grow. At the beginning, there are questions about everything: mortgages, towns, inspections, attorneys, offers, contracts. That’s to be expected. You’ve never done this before.

Then something shifts.

By the time we’re sitting at the closing table, my clients know considerably more than they did when we started. They’ve learned how to evaluate a house, they’ve gotten to know the market, and they understand why they’re making the decisions they’re making.

That’s always my goal. Your first home doesn’t have to be a perfect house or your forever house. It should be a thoughtful purchase that works for you and gives you a place you’re excited to call home.

If you’re considering buying your first home in Rye or elsewhere in Westchester, I’d be happy to help you figure out where to begin.

Recommended Reading

1. Tips for New Homebuyers