john's real estate buyer's blueprint
Buying a home in California, explained properly.
Ten guides from John Palmer, a California broker and senior loan officer with 36 years in this market. They follow a purchase in the order it actually happens: the money first, the people second, the process third.
Written for buyers who want to understand what they are signing before they sign it. No jargon left unexplained, no pressure, and no assumption that you already know how any of this works. Read one, or read all ten in order.
new here? start with Start With the Loan, Not the Listing
Start With the Loan, Not the Listing
The most common mistake I see California buyers make, and the order I'd use instead: financing first, then your agent, then the house.
7 min02How Your Credit Score Is Actually Used to Buy a Home
Lenders use a tri-merged credit report and your middle FICO score, not an app score and not an average. Here is what that number controls.
7 min03What You Actually Need for a Down Payment in California
FHA, conventional, high-balance, jumbo, and VA down payment minimums in California, and the mortgage insurance most buyers forget to plan for.
7 min04Closing Costs in California, Line by Line
What each fee on a California closing statement actually pays for, and how to get your own numbers in writing before you write an offer.
7 min05Who Pays Your Agent Now, and Why It's a Conversation
The rules changed in August 2024. Buyer agent compensation is negotiable, agreed in writing with your own agent, and no longer published in the MLS.
7 min06How to Interview a Real Estate Agent and a Lender
Both of them work for you, and neither one is interchangeable. The questions I would ask a California agent and a lender before hiring either.
7 min07From Accepted Offer to Keys: What Happens in Escrow
A step-by-step walk through California escrow, from the fully executed contract through recording, in the order it actually happens.
7 min08Never Skip the Home Inspection in California
Why a California home inspection matters even when the seller is honest, and how to handle the report while you're still inside your contingency period.
7 min09The California Costs That Change Your Payment
Property taxes, homeowners insurance, and HOA dues are property-specific in California. How to find out what a home really costs before you offer.
7 min10Title Insurance and Escrow: What You're Paying For
What a cloud on title is, why title insurance looks backward instead of forward, and what a California escrow officer actually does for you.
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