The Homebuyer Course
The free homebuyer course, straightforward.
Yes — there is a free homebuyer course here, no signup and no cost. It is 18 short lessons covering budget, credit, financing, search, offers, and closing, in order, written by a licensed Washington real estate agent and lender. Check your understanding as you go with quick knowledge checks, and finish knowing your real next step.
18 lessons, free
The full course, no signup, no cost.
Math before emotion
Payments and costs before list price.
A real plan still matters
Learn first. A consult tailors the plan.
I.Your progress
Track it as you go.
Your progress
0 of 18 lessons complete
Start with the first lesson below, or run a calculator to bank a head start.
Part One — Get Ready
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Part Two — Execute
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II.Part one — Get ready
Nine lessons before you search.
Budget, credit, savings, and financing — the groundwork that makes the rest of the course easier.
01
8 minMoney & Budget
A comfortable home budget starts with your monthly cash flow, not the number a lender says you qualify for. This hole walks through income, existing debt, and a realistic monthly payment range before you look at a single listing. You will leave knowing the difference between what you can borrow and what you can actually afford.
Start this lesson02
7 minCredit
Your credit score sets your interest rate, and rate is the single biggest lever on your monthly payment. This hole explains what lenders actually look at, how score bands map to rate tiers, and the fastest honest ways to improve your position before you apply. No credit-repair gimmicks, just what moves the number.
Start this lesson03
8 minSavings & Down Payment
You do not need 20% down to buy a home responsibly. This hole covers how down payment size changes your monthly payment, mortgage insurance, and offer strength, plus how much cash reserve to keep on hand after closing. You will end with a savings target, not just a percentage.
Start this lesson04
9 minDown-Payment-Assistance Programs
Washington runs several down-payment-assistance programs most first-time buyers never hear about. This hole explains how programs like Home Advantage and House Key Opportunity work at a high level, who tends to qualify, and why the assistance requires a homebuyer-education certificate first. Skipping this hole often means leaving real assistance money unclaimed.
Start this lesson05
8 minLoan Types
Conventional, FHA, VA, and jumbo loans each fit a different buyer situation. This hole breaks down minimum down payments, mortgage insurance rules, and who each loan type actually favors, so you can walk into a lender conversation already knowing which door to ask about first.
Start this lesson06
6 minPre-Approval
Pre-approval is a lender's conditional commitment based on verified income, assets, and credit — stronger than pre-qualification, which is just a self-reported estimate. This hole covers the documents you need, how long approval lasts, and why sellers treat a pre-approval letter as a real signal.
Start this lesson07
7 minBuying Power
Buying power is your budget, credit, and down payment combined into one real number: what you can offer on a home today. This hole ties the first six holes together into a single working figure you can bring into a search, so every home you tour is already in range.
Start this lesson08
7 minAgents & Representation
A buyer's agent is legally required to work in your interest, not the seller's, and in most cases costs you nothing directly. This hole explains representation agreements, how agent compensation actually works after recent industry changes, and what to ask before you sign with anyone.
Start this lesson09
6 minMarket Fundamentals
Inventory, days on market, and price trends tell you whether you are walking into a buyer's market or a competitive one. This hole covers how to read basic market data for your area so your offer strategy matches reality instead of guesswork.
Start this lessonIII.Part two — Execute
Nine lessons from search to keys.
Touring, offers, negotiation, and closing — the sequence that turns readiness into a signed deal.
10
7 minSearch Strategy
A good search starts with a short list of non-negotiables, not an endless scroll of listings. This hole covers how to set up alerts that actually match your criteria, when to widen your search radius, and how to avoid touring homes that were never really in range.
Start this lesson11
8 minTouring & Evaluating
A showing is your chance to catch problems before they become negotiating leverage or expensive surprises. This hole gives you a walk-through checklist covering structure, systems, and neighborhood context, so you leave every tour with real notes instead of just a feeling.
Start this lesson12
8 minOffers
A competitive offer is built from price, contingencies, earnest money, and timing — not just the highest number. This hole explains each lever you control when you write an offer and how they combine to signal seriousness to a seller without overpaying.
Start this lesson13
7 minNegotiation
Negotiation does not stop when your offer is accepted — inspection results, appraisal gaps, and repair requests all reopen the conversation. This hole covers how to negotiate from a position backed by facts, and when it makes sense to hold firm versus give ground.
Start this lesson14
8 minInspection
A home inspection is your last real chance to understand what you are buying before you own it. This hole covers what a standard inspection checks, what a specialist inspection adds, and the real tradeoffs of waiving the inspection contingency in a competitive market.
Start this lesson15
8 minAppraisal & Financing Contingencies
An appraisal confirms your lender is not loaning more than the home is worth, and a low appraisal can stall a deal fast. This hole explains how appraisals work, what your options are when one comes in low, and how financing contingencies protect your earnest money.
Start this lesson16
6 minClosing Costs
Closing costs typically run 2-5% of the purchase price and catch first-time buyers off guard if they are not budgeted for early. This hole breaks down what you are actually paying for at closing and how seller credits can offset part of the bill.
Start this lesson17
6 minClosing Week
Closing week has a predictable sequence: final walkthrough, document signing, funding, and key handoff. This hole walks through what to expect day by day so nothing during your closing week feels like a surprise, including what to bring and what to confirm in advance.
Start this lesson18
7 minOwnership
Owning a home changes your taxes, your maintenance calendar, and how your equity builds over time. This closing hole covers the first-year basics: what to budget for upkeep, how equity actually accumulates, and what records to keep for tax season.
Start this lessonReadiness check
Where do you actually stand?
Six questions, a couple of minutes. Get a clear, non-judgmental readiness read — Ready Now, Nearly Ready, or Still Building — with a concrete next move either way.
IV.Reference
Reference, any lesson, any time.
The full glossary and every checklist live in one place, so you can bookmark it and jump back from any lesson.