How we guide buyers
Seven steps, guided. One team beside you.
From the first conversation to the closing table.
Representation: it starts with a conversation
"Every time we find a house we love, we look at the payment and immediately close the tab." If you've ever said something like that, the trouble may be which number you've been shopping from. A pre-approval tells you what a lender is willing to lend. It can't tell you what you want to spend each month, and that second number decides how the next few years feel.
This is how we help you buy a home in metro Atlanta. NRG Nguyen Realty Group keeps both numbers in front of you the whole way, so you can say yes to a home knowing what it asks of you each month.
A buyer we helped in Kings Cove, in East Cobb, had mentioned dreading Georgia Power and looking forward to leaving it behind. The home they liked was in Cobb, and the next street was on Cobb EMC, so they assumed that part was settled. A power company isn't something we usually look up. We caught what they'd said and looked anyway, and that home was on Georgia Power. Their monthly math changed. They were still okay with it, and they bought the home knowing. That's one purchase, never a promise about yours.
A higher payment can still be the right one. You should get to choose it on purpose.
Where the conversation starts
Before we talk about homes, we ask what has changed in your life. Where you need to be, what still works, and what you want the next few years to hold. A search built on those answers tends to end somewhere you still feel good about. If your own thought is "I don't want someone trying to sell me a house, I just want someone to tell me what makes the most sense," this is the part of the process built for you.
It starts with a discovery call. A lender follows if you're financing, and if you don't have one yet, we connect you with one. Then comes your buyer strategy meeting, thorough with numbers: what's most important, what's causing the move, the monthly payment you're comfortable with, the costs buyers can expect, and how we work together. We also go over the written buyer agreement there, which spells out how we work together and how we're paid, and we ask whether you're ready to begin. Tours wait until that agreement is in place. If you're paying cash, the discovery call goes straight to that meeting.
From there, the order is written down for you. You get a checklist of recommendations and vendors that says when to do what, videos that help you through the process, and the reminders and updates our closing coordinators send every week.
We're Andrew and Jassey Nguyen, REALTORS® with Keller Williams Realty Peachtree Road, and we've collectively sold 300+ homes since 2010. NRG was a 2025 Atlanta Top Producer, in the top 15% of teams by sales volume.
Each step after this one comes back to those numbers. Pre-approval separates the two. The search checks them against each address. The offer is built from real comparable sales. Due diligence, financing and appraisal, and closing carry you from an accepted offer to the keys.
Not sure yet?
If you own a home now, a low rate or a changing life can make the numbers hard to read. The Next Chapter Strategy™ is a complimentary conversation for exactly that. Sometimes, we'll tell you not to move. See how it works.
Selling instead? Sellers have a process of their own, because it is a different job.
Start with what has changed.
Pre-approval: a number you can stand on
The first number comes from your lender. A true pre-approval has your documents verified. A quick pre-qualification doesn't. The verified kind sets the top of your budget and makes your offer stronger, because a seller can see you're ready when a home you love has other interest. A preapproval letter states how much a lender is willing to lend, based on certain assumptions, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is clear that it isn't a final loan offer.
The second number comes from you. At your strategy meeting, we talk about the monthly payment you're comfortable with, not only what you're pre-approved for. It may sit below your pre-approval, and that's fine with us.
We prefer to have the letter in hand before that meeting. If you don't already have a lender in mind, one option is for us to connect you with lenders our clients have had success with, who can walk you through your real options. Some loan programs allow a smaller down payment than people expect.
Buying can feel nerve-racking, especially the first time. What we find is that time with a lender brings clarity, because you can see how to get to your next move. If qualifying isn't possible yet, that lender can put you on a plan based on what your file looks like that day: what you'd need to do, your finances, the payment you're comfortable with and the down payment needed. Not every buyer will qualify.
The rest of the cash
Your down payment is one part of the cash a purchase asks for. The rest is closing costs, earnest money, the inspections and the appraisal along the way, and a cushion for the move and the first repair.
Within three business days of your application, your lender has to give you a Loan Estimate listing the estimated closing costs, taxes and insurance. Keep it. You will compare it line by line with your final numbers.
On the 2026 Georgia REALTORS® purchase contract, the buyer pays the state transfer tax, the title search and the deed preparation, along with the closing costs the contract doesn't assign to the seller. A special stipulation can change who pays what, so the contract you sign is the one that counts.
Once you are pre-approved, small changes can affect your loan. Here is what to check with your lender first.
Seven steps, guided. One team beside you.
The search: fewer homes, worth your time
We narrow the field to homes worth your time and tour them with you. You get a tour page for the homes you'll see, where you can rate each one as you walk it, so the details are still clear a few homes later.
Your monthly number comes along on those tours, because two homes at one price can ask for different amounts each month. Taxes, HOA rules and the drive to work can all change within a short distance, and we look at them home by home. The address matters as much as the home. A school assignment is a fact about one address, so we point you to the district to confirm it.
Relocating? We plan weekend area tours and help you compare neighborhoods by commute and daily life. Read more about relocating to metro Atlanta, or see the areas we work in.
Reading what a listing leaves out
The tax figure on a listing belongs to the seller. It reflects their exemptions and the value the county held while they owned the home, so we build your own number beside it.
A condo or a townhome comes with an association, and its documents travel with the home: what the dues cover, how they have changed, the reserve fund, the rules on renting. Read them before your due diligence period ends. A home can also look like a townhome and be set up legally as a condominium, and the deed and recorded declaration settle which it is.
A description can mislead as well: "main-level bedroom" can mean a small guest room, and "primary on main" means something else. We read the floor plan and confirm which room it is.
The offer: built from real comparable sales
Pricing, terms and timing all come from real comparable sales. Our team negotiates so your offer stands out for the right reasons, and we'll show you what the numbers support. Then you hold the offer up against your second number, because the price a home can support and the payment you chose are separate questions.
Price is one part of an offer. Your due diligence period, your financing and your closing date all shape how a seller reads it. Earnest money is part of the offer too, and we walk you through the amount and who holds it before you sign. Before you write, we try to learn what matters most to the seller. Sometimes it's price. Sometimes it's a closing date that fits their next move, or time to stay in the home after closing.
If you own a home now, the offer and your sale need to fit together. We map the options, from selling first to buying first, before you commit. Read more about trading up.
Earnest money
Earnest money and due diligence are both negotiable when you write an offer. No figure is set by the state for earnest money. The amount is a term you propose in your offer, and the seller can accept it, counter it or ask for more. Commonly, it's around 1 to 2% of the purchase price, and depending on the situation it could be less or higher. If the sale closes, it goes toward your purchase. If the contract ends for a reason the contract allows, it comes back to you.
If you walk away for a reason the contract doesn't cover, the seller may be entitled to it. So the useful questions are how much you could afford to lose without changing your life, and which dates protect it.
Planning due diligence before you write
The length of the due diligence period isn't set by state law. You choose how many days to ask for, and commonly it's around 5 to 7 days. So plan those days in the week before your offer, and line up who will fill them: an inspector, any specialist for a roof or a crawl space, and an insurance quote on the address.
A period that short works because of what happens first. The lenders we work with do much of their work up front during pre-approval, which can help you write a strong offer and work through your contingencies in a fast time frame, typically within due diligence. That's what's typical with us, never a promise that a contingency clears in time, and your contract's dates are the ones that count. Not every buyer will qualify. We don't require you to use any lender.
Choosing a closing date
Georgia sets no timeline for closing, so the date is yours and the seller's to agree on. A financed purchase usually needs several weeks, because underwriting, the appraisal and the Closing Disclosure each need room. A cash purchase can often close sooner.
Due diligence to closing: every deadline, tracked
"There are just too many moving pieces to know what's right." This is the stretch where that sentence feels truest. We help you secure the home, then advise you through the inspection and anything that comes up with it or with your financing.
Due diligence
Most Georgia contracts include a due diligence period, a set number of days to inspect the home, ask for repairs and decide whether to move forward. It is your time to take a closer look, with room to walk away. Our team tracks every date for you.
A first-time buyer we helped in North Fulton came to us nervous, and sure the market was going to crash. Saving their cash and not facing repairs after closing mattered most to them. Insurance can be hard to get on a home with an older roof, and we negotiated a new one, which gave them great relief. They were much more confident by closing, and as homeowners they're happy they bought. That's one buyer and one home, never a promise about any market.
On the standard Georgia contract, you can terminate during that window for any reason, by written notice delivered the way the contract requires. The period rarely ends with a formal notice. It runs out, and if the deadline passes without a termination, the contract treats that silence as a decision to go forward. So the date and the time both go on your calendar the day you go under contract.
The inspection report describes the home. What you ask for afterward is a proposed amendment, and the seller can accept, decline or answer with something different. Nothing changes until both sides sign. More time also takes a written agreement from both sides.
Financing and appraisal
We stay in step with your lender and track every deadline while the loan and appraisal come together. This is when steady finances help most, so check with your lender before any big financial change.
Your lender measures the loan against the lower of the price and the appraised value. If the appraisal comes in low, the gap can be closed by your cash, a new price from the seller, a request to reconsider the value, or a mix of them.
FHA and VA contracts carry their own clauses about earnest money in that situation, and on a conventional loan the answer depends on your contract's terms and dates, so ask your attorney right away.
Your lender must give you the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before you close on the loan. Read it the day it arrives, beside your Loan Estimate, and hold the monthly payment up against the number you chose.
Closing
A final walkthrough, a review of your numbers, and a closing attorney's table. Then the keys. The walkthrough takes about 15 minutes, the day before closing or the day of. You check that every agreed repair has been done, that the home is in the condition you expect, that what the seller agreed to leave is still there, and that the systems run.
Every Georgia closing is conducted by a licensed Georgia attorney, and in a standard closing with a loan, that attorney represents the lender. We talk early about whether you also want an attorney of your own.
Before you send money, confirm the wiring instructions by calling a number you saved yourself from the firm's official website. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's guidance is to never follow instructions contained in an email.
One date comes after the keys. A homestead exemption generally looks to whether you owned the home and lived in it as your legal residence on January 1, and you apply with your county's tax officials. You can still come to us after closing, as a resource for whatever the home raises next.
Where you'd start with us
Our team asks what has changed, connects you with a lender if you need one, and works from the payment you're comfortable with as well as the one you're approved for. We narrow the homes, negotiate, track every date and stay in step with your lender until you have the keys. "I finally feel like we have a plan" is what we want you saying before the first tour.
If that's how you'd want to buy a home in metro Atlanta, tell us what you're looking for, and our team will take it from there.
This page describes our general process. It is not legal, tax or lending advice.
Buyer questions
Answers, simplified.
Do I need a pre-approval before touring homes?
We recommend it. A pre-approval can show you what you qualify for, and your comfortable payment can be below it. It also shows sellers you're ready, which matters when a home you love has other interest.
How much do I need for a down payment?
It depends on the loan. Some programs allow a smaller down payment than people expect. If you don't already have a lender in mind, one option is for us to connect you with lenders our clients have had success with, who can walk you through your real options.
How is the buyer's agent paid?
We talk about it up front and put it in writing in your buyer agreement. Depending on the home and the negotiation, it may be covered by the seller, the buyer, or a combination.
What is due diligence in Georgia?
Most Georgia contracts include a due diligence period, a set number of days to inspect the home, ask for repairs and decide whether to move forward. It's negotiable, and commonly around 5 to 7 days. Our team tracks every date for you.
Can I buy before I sell my current home?
Often, yes. It comes down to your numbers and your comfort with timing. We map out the options, from selling first to buying first, before you commit.
We're relocating to Atlanta. Can you help?
Yes. We plan area tours, help you compare neighborhoods by commute and daily life, and can connect you with a trusted agent to sell your current home.
Keep exploring
You don't have to decide before we talk.