How To Buy Your First House Without A House Without A Realtor
Even with all the added benefits and modern tools, going solo still means you’ll need to be extra diligent. Here are the major steps to buying your home without an agent, whether it's your first or your tenth.
Step 1: Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage
Before touring homes or making offers, get pre-approved by a mortgage lender. This tells you how much home you can afford and proves to sellers you’re serious.
What you’ll need:
Proof of income (W-2s, tax returns)
Bank statements
Credit score (usually 620+ for conventional loans)
Debt-to-income ratio under 43%
Pro tip: Shop around. Compare at least 3 lenders to find the best interest rates and closing costs.
Step 2: Define Your Criteria and Budget
Know what you want and what you’re willing to compromise on. Make a list of must-haves vs. nice-to-haves.
Key criteria to consider:
Price range
Location and school districts
Property type (single-family, condo, townhome)
Square footage
Yard size
Commute time
Pro tip: Use free online tools to analyze crime data, flood zones, and property history. Sites like Redfin, Zillow, and Homa make it easier to assess homes without relying on an agent.
Step 3: Start House Hunting
Without a realtor, you’ll need to be proactive in finding homes.
Where to look:
Online listing sites (Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com)
Local FSBO (For Sale By Owner) sites
Facebook Marketplace or real estate groups
Homa’s AI-powered home discovery platform
Pro tip: When you find a home you like, contact the seller or their agent directly to schedule a tour. Take detailed notes and photos when visiting. Homa can help you with scripts to successfully request a tour.
Step 4: Request Disclosures and Research the Property
Requirements vary by state, but often sellers are required to provide a Seller’s Disclosure which outlines known issues with the home (like roof leaks or foundation problems).
Also research:
Property taxes
HOA fees (if any)
Title history (check for liens or ownership disputes)
Neighborhood comps (what similar homes recently sold for)
Pro tip: Watch out for red flags like unusual pricing, long days on market, or properties listed “as-is.” Use Homa's document analysis tools to highlight red flags.
Step 5: Make an Offer
When you’re ready to make an offer, you’ll need to:
Draft a purchase agreement – This legal document outlines your offer price, contingencies (inspection, financing, appraisal), closing date, and more. Homa can help you do this with the proper legal forms for your area.
Negotiate if needed – The seller may counter your offer. Be prepared to adjust price, dates, or terms.
Submit earnest money – A deposit (typically 1–3% of the offer price) that shows you’re serious.
Pro tip: Homa provides smart offer-writing tools tailored to unrepresented buyers. Use Homa to make sure you don't miss anything important in your offer.
Step 6: Schedule a Home Inspection
Always hire a licensed home inspector to evaluate the home’s condition. They’ll check the roof, foundation, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and more.
If the inspection reveals major issues, you can:
Request repairs
Ask for a price reduction or credit
Walk away (if your offer included an inspection contingency)
Pro tip: Join the inspection if possible. You’ll learn more about the home and can ask questions in real time. Upload your inspection report into Homa and it will help you understand what are major concerns and whether you should ask for repairs.
Step 7: Get an Appraisal and Final Loan Approval
Your lender will require an appraisal to confirm the home’s value matches the loan amount. Once you’re cleared to close, you’ll get a final breakdown of all costs, known as a Closing Disclosure.
While you're going through this process with the lender, they’ll finish underwriting your loan by:
Verifying your finances again
Checking the home’s title
Reviewing your insurance coverage
Pro tip: Make sure you are ready for any appraisal issues by reviewing comparable home sales before you submit your offer. Homa can help you analyze comps so you know if you've offered more than the home might appraise for.
Step 8: Close the Deal
Closing day is when ownership officially transfers to you. To get there, you'll go through the escrow process which typically takes about 30–45 days from offer acceptance to closing.
At closing, you’ll typically:
Review and sign loan documents
Pay your down payment and closing costs (usually 2–5% of the purchase price)
Get the keys!
Pro tip: Ask in advance to review any paperwork as the day of closing isn't when you want to be seeing it for the first time.
Is Buying Your First Home Without a Realtor Right for You?
It can be, if you’re:
Organized and comfortable doing research
Willing to learn the process
Confident negotiating with sellers
Using tools or professionals (like Homa, attorneys, or inspectors) when needed
Skipping the agent gives you more freedom, but it also means more responsibility. That’s why platforms like Homa are changing the game, helping first-time buyers manage the process themselves, without getting overwhelmed.
