The 2026 Step-by-Step Guide
Y’all. If you have been opening Zillow at midnight, screenshotting houses, and then closing the app because the whole thing feels overwhelming, this post is for you.
We are Mandy and Michelle, the team behind Tandem here in Coastal Georgia. A huge chunk of the clients we work with are first-time buyers, and we have noticed something. Almost all of them show up apologizing for not knowing things. They think they should already understand what earnest money is, or how an FHA loan works, or what a contingency does. Real talk: you are not supposed to know yet. That is literally what we are here for.
So this is the no-judgment, no-jargon walkthrough we wish every first-time buyer had before they ever booked a showing.
Step one: get honest about your numbers
Before you tour a single house, you need a clear picture of two things. What you can afford on paper, and what you actually want to spend each month. Those are not the same number.
A lender can tell you what you qualify for. We have seen plenty of clients qualify for way more house than they want. Just because a bank says yes does not mean you should max it out. Think about your real life. The trip to see your sister every year, the car payment, the gym membership, eating out, saving. Your mortgage is one piece of a much bigger budget.
A solid starting point is to look at what you are comfortably paying in rent and use that as a baseline. Then have a real conversation with a lender about taxes, insurance, HOA fees, and PMI if you are putting less than 20 percent down. Your monthly is way more than just principal and interest.
For context, mortgage rates in the Savannah area as of spring 2026 have been running roughly 6.25 to 6.7 percent on a 30-year fixed conventional, with FHA rates closer to 5.875 percent and VA rates around 6.1 percent. Those numbers change every week, so always verify with a lender before you do your math.
Step two: talk to a local lender before you fall in love
This is where so many first-time buyers stumble. They start touring before they have talked to anyone about financing. Then they find the one and discover they cannot move on it for two weeks because they need pre-approval.
Get pre-approved first. Not pre-qualified, pre-approved. There is a real difference. Pre-qualified is a guess based on what you tell them. Pre-approved means they have looked at your documents and confirmed what you can borrow.
We recommend local lenders for one big reason: they know this market, they know our closing attorneys, and they actually answer their phones. National online lenders look great in ads, but we have watched too many deals get jammed up by a call center that closes at 5 pm Pacific. If you want, we have a short list of lenders we trust. Just ask.
Step three: understand the down payment programs you might qualify for
This is the part that surprises first-time buyers the most. You probably do not need 20 percent down. You probably do not even need 10. Depending on your situation, you might be looking at as little as 3 to 5 percent, or zero down if you qualify for certain programs.
Programs to ask your lender about for the Georgia market:
Georgia Dream Homeownership Program
The big statewide program. It pairs an affordable fixed-rate first mortgage with down payment assistance. Current parameters as of 2025-2026: maximum sales price up to $550,000, income limits of $130,290 for 1 to 2 person households and $149,833 for 3+ person households, minimum credit score of 640, and you contribute at least $1,000 of your own funds. A homebuyer education course is required.
The down payment assistance comes in tiers:
- Standard: up to 5% of purchase price or $10,000, whichever is less
- PEN (Protectors, Educators, Nurses): up to 6% or $12,500 for eligible public service employees
- CHOICE: up to 6% or $12,500 for households with a family member with a disability
The assistance is a 0% interest deferred second mortgage with no monthly payments. You repay it when you sell, refinance, or move out.
Savannah DreamMaker Program
If you are buying within Savannah city limits, this local program offers up to $7,500 in down payment, closing cost, or gap financing as a 0%, 30-year deferred loan. Home must be in good condition; pre-1978 properties must have no deteriorated paint.
USDA Rural Development loans
Zero down for eligible rural areas. Parts of Bryan, Effingham, and Liberty counties qualify, but the eligibility maps shift over time. Worth asking your lender to check the address.
VA loans
Zero down, no PMI, for eligible military members and veterans. With Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield in our area, this is a big one for our market. The VA loan benefit is one of the strongest in the country and worth understanding even if you separated years ago.
FHA loans
As low as 3.5 percent down with a 580+ credit score, or 10 percent down with a credit score between 500 and 579. Great option for buyers with lower credit or limited savings.
Conventional loans
As low as 3 percent down for first-time buyers through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac programs. Best terms typically go to borrowers with 5 to 20 percent down and stronger credit.
Y’all, this is honestly where some of our biggest client wins happen. We have seen first-time buyers walk in thinking they needed 50 grand and walk out under contract with a fraction of that. The programs exist, but you have to know to ask.
Step four: hire the right realtor
We are going to be biased here, but stay with us.
A realtor representing a buyer in Georgia is typically paid through the transaction, and the recent changes to how buyer agency works mean you will sign a Buyer Brokerage Agreement before we start touring. That agreement spells out exactly how we get paid and what we owe you. Read it. Ask questions. A good realtor will walk you through every line.
What you want in a first-time buyer’s agent:
Someone who explains things. If they make you feel dumb for asking, run.
Someone responsive. You are about to make the biggest purchase of your life. You should not be chasing them down.
Someone local. National referrals get sent to whoever paid the most for the lead, not necessarily the best fit for you.
Someone who tells you no. The best agents will talk you out of the wrong house. We have done it more times than we can count.
Step five: the actual house hunt
Here is what touring looks like with us. We start with a conversation, not a list of houses. We want to know what you are picturing on a Sunday morning, not just how many bedrooms you need. The right house for you is a function of your real life, not a checklist.
When we tour, we tour with intention. We do not run you through 18 houses in a weekend. That leads to burnout and bad decisions. We narrow it, we walk through carefully, and we look for the things you are not trained to see yet. Foundation issues. Old roofs. Suspicious paint patches. Lots that drain poorly. We are not inspectors, but we have walked through enough homes to know what raises a flag.
Step six: writing the offer
This is where things move fast, and where having someone in your corner matters.
Offers in our market involve more than a price. There is earnest money, the closing date, financing contingency, inspection contingency, appraisal contingency, what stays in the house, how much you are asking the seller to cover in closing costs.
Real talk: in many of our deals, we are negotiating thousands of dollars in seller-paid closing costs for our buyers. One recent transaction, our buyer walked into closing with $30,000 in seller concessions. Thirty grand. That money went straight to closing costs and rate buydown, making the monthly payment dramatically more affordable. Those numbers do not happen by accident. They happen because we wrote a strong, strategic offer.
Step seven: under contract, then inspection
Once you are under contract, the clock starts. Typically you have about 7 to 10 days for due diligence, depending on what we negotiate. During that window, you get the inspection done, you review HOA documents if applicable, and you decide if anything that came up is a dealbreaker.
The inspection report will look terrifying. Every inspection report looks terrifying. That is normal. Our job is to help you separate the cosmetic stuff from the actual problems. A few outlets that need GFCI updates is one thing. A cracked foundation is another.
If something significant comes up, we can renegotiate. Ask for repairs, ask for a price reduction, ask for closing credit. Or, in some cases, walk away. Your earnest money is protected if you exercise your contingencies properly. This is one of the most important reasons to have a realtor who actually understands contract law.
Step eight: appraisal, financing, closing
This part is mostly behind the scenes. Your lender orders the appraisal. The home needs to appraise at or above the contract price for the loan to go through smoothly. If it does not, we have options, and we will walk through them with you.
Meanwhile, your lender is finalizing your loan. You will get asked for documents over and over again. Send them quickly. Do not open new credit cards, do not finance a car, do not change jobs if you can help it.
Then comes closing day. You sign approximately one million pages. The keys are yours. Take the picture in front of the house. We probably cried a little. We always do.
What we wish every first-time buyer knew
You do not need to be perfect to qualify. Credit scores in the 600s can absolutely buy a house. The Georgia Dream program has a 640 minimum, and many FHA loans go lower.
You do not need 20 percent down. See above.
You do not need to know everything. You need to ask everything.
The inspection is not a guarantee. It is a snapshot. Things will still come up later. Build a small emergency fund for the first year.
You will not love every minute. There will be a moment in the middle where you wonder if you are making a huge mistake. Everyone has that moment. Push through.
Ready to start?
If you have read this far, you are more prepared than most first-time buyers walking into this process. The next step is a conversation. No pressure, no pitch, just a chat about where you are and what you are picturing.
Send us a message, drop into our DMs on Instagram at @tandem_savannah, or grab a time on our calendar. We promise no question is a dumb one.
Moving forward together. That is the whole point.