Buying Your First Home in Redmond, Oregon: What Actually Happens

I'm Holli Cobb, a REALTOR® with REAL Broker in Redmond, and I work with first-time buyers regularly. If you're feeling some mix of excited and completely lost, that's the norm, not a sign you're doing something wrong. Here's what actually happens, in order, so it stops feeling like a black box.

Before touring anything, get pre-approved. In Oregon, you'll also sign a buyer agency agreement before an agent starts showing you homes, which makes your agent legally responsible to you in the negotiation, not just someone with keys. Get honest with yourself about the monthly payment you're actually comfortable with, separate from the maximum a lender says you qualify for. Those two numbers are often different, and the second one is the one that matters at 11pm six months after closing.

Most first-time buyers start with a long wishlist and narrow it down one showing at a time, that's normal. What trips people up is touring twenty homes without a clear sense of what's a real dealbreaker versus a nice-to-have. A good agent helps you sort that early, so you're not wasting weekends on homes that were never going to work.

When you find the right home, you'll submit an offer and negotiate terms, not just price. Once you're under contract, Oregon's standard inspection period is typically 10 business days, your window to have the home inspected and negotiate repairs, a credit, or walk away if something significant turns up. Earnest money typically runs around 1% of the purchase price, held by a title or escrow company, not by either agent.

Closing in Oregon goes through a title and escrow company; the state doesn't require an attorney at the table. You'll finalize your loan, sign paperwork, and get your keys. That's it, you're a homeowner.

If you want to talk through where you're starting from, no pressure, no assumption you're ready today, get in touch, or read more on how I help first-time buyers.