Buying a Home in Washington:
What buyers ask me most

It depends on the loan program. Conventional loans can go as low as 3-5% down for qualified buyers, FHA allows 3.5%, and VA loans allow 0% down for eligible veterans and active-duty service members — relevant to a lot of my buyers given how close we are to Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Washington also has down payment assistance programs through the Washington State Housing Finance Commission for eligible first-time buyers.

The right number depends on your finances and the type of home you're after, not a single rule of thumb.

No. FHA loans generally allow lower credit scores than conventional financing, and VA loans don't set a hard minimum through the VA itself, though individual lenders set their own thresholds. A lower score usually means a different rate or loan program, not a closed door.

Yes. Pre-approval tells you what you can actually afford before you fall for a house that's out of range, and it makes your offer credible the moment you find the right place. In a competitive South King County market, sellers often won't seriously consider an offer without one.

I can connect you with lenders I trust if you don't already have one.

Once you're under contract, closing typically takes 30-45 days in Washington, depending on your financing and the timeline negotiated in your offer. The search itself is the variable part — some buyers find the right home in a few weeks, others take several months, especially if they're being selective about location or condition.

I'd rather you find the right home than the fast one.

Closing costs are the fees beyond your down payment — title insurance, escrow fees, loan origination charges, appraisal, recording fees, and prepaid items like property taxes and homeowners insurance. In Washington, buyers typically budget in the range of 2-4% of the purchase price, though your exact number depends on your loan program and negotiated terms.

Your lender will give you a formal estimate once you're under contract.

There's no state-mandated minimum. Earnest money in this market typically runs 1-3% of the purchase price and is negotiable as part of your offer. It's held in escrow, not paid directly to the seller, and is credited toward your purchase at closing if the transaction goes through.

It signals to the seller that you're serious.

The most common are an inspection contingency (time to have the home professionally inspected and negotiate or walk away based on findings), a financing contingency (protects you if your loan falls through), and an appraisal contingency (protects you if the home appraises below the purchase price). Depending on your situation, you might also include a contingency to sell your current home first.

We'll decide together which ones make sense for your offer and the market conditions at the time.

Once both sides sign, you're at "mutual acceptance." From there: you submit earnest money into escrow, order your inspection (commonly within the first 7-10 days, though it's negotiable), your lender moves forward with underwriting and orders the appraisal, and title work gets underway.

As we get close to your closing date, you'll do a final walkthrough, sign your closing documents, and the sale gets recorded with the county. I walk clients through each of these steps as they come up so nothing catches you off guard.

It's possible, and there are a few ways to structure it — a home sale contingency on your purchase, a bridge loan or HELOC against your current equity, or negotiating a rent-back period with your buyer after you sell so you have somewhere to land.

Each option has real tradeoffs around cost, risk, and timing. This is very personal to your finances, so it's a conversation I'd rather have directly than answer in general terms.

It can be a great fit, especially if you want to choose finishes or avoid deferred maintenance — but a few things are worth knowing going in. Builder contracts are written to protect the builder, not you, so having your own agent review the terms matters. Upgrades add up fast and aren't always reflected in appraised value. And builder timelines can shift.