Emily and Sam Erickson had been actively looking for their second home for around six weeks. Finally, they could land the fifth house they put an offer on and purchase the home at their asking price. The house they purchased was their second home, and they are turning their first home into an investment home. They are planning on renting the home long-term.

They had difficulty buying their second home, with homes going on and off the market in three days or less. Luckily, their real estate agent and home lender were on the ball and were able to get their offer in quickly, securing their second home.

Kaleb and Shay were excited to close and move into their new home recently! Deciding to purchase a new home this past January, they were put off by the prices of new homes and didn’t believe they could obtain a mortgage for the home they wanted to live in. In addition, the process of buying a home seemed overwhelmed and daunting, and they didn’t know where to start! On the suggestion of a realtor friend, they started looking around at homes online to see which homes and areas they would like to buy.

They decided to look at the MLS daily and found the perfect home. Although they put in an offer, another buyer paid in cash over the seller’s asking price. Being heartbroken, they wanted to put aside their home buying experience and continue to rent. However, they restarted their buying process again, putting in bids on multiple homes in the area. Not securing a home, they were tired and wanted to stay in their apartment when their landlord decided to raise the rent by 30%.

Now paying close to a mortgage payment for their apartment, Kaleb and Shay had a renewed interest in finding their first home. Finding a condo community with an open house, they decided to look at this new home prospect. After touring the condo with the seller’s agent, Kaleb and Shay hit it off with the broker, put in an offer for the condominium, and went under contract!

Everett Lamborn recently closed on his previous home and purchased a new house. He is also in real estate investing, so they buy homes to gain equity and capital in his investment portfolio. For his latest home, he was able to secure the house with his first offer. The goal is to get another 20% to buy two places - the home he lives in and his investment home - giving him two down payments and two mortgages.

Everett is making money in today’s market by purchasing homes that need to be fixed up and flipping them for a profit. Then, he reinvests his money into the next house to renovate and sell. He is using real estate as his retirement portfolio. “I feel like it’s more lucrative in some ways. Also, with my experience, I can remodel houses and make them look better for me. I feel like I have more control over real estate and that it’s a more sound investment.

Emily and Ricardo Ramirez sold and bought a property and are here to tell us about their experience. The process was a bit difficult on the buyer’s side with the house they were selling.

Their new home is almost twice the size of their former home. The family didn’t have a child when they bought their first home, so upsizing to their new home was a step in the right direction. In their new home, with more space, this new spot was perfect for them. Their daughter said she likes their new house because “my house is big.”

Tori Ackerman just signed papers for her new townhouse. She decided to start looking at houses six weeks ago and bought the first home she put in an offer. Her real estate agent, Dallin Dickerson, helped her personalize the offer and made connections so Tori could get into the house she wanted.

She loves having a field next to her new home as it makes her house feel homier. Tori also likes having a left-side townhouse, which gives her neighbors on only one side of her home.

Not understanding the home-buying process and using his agent Lesa Deadman to guide him through, Trevor Dick recently signed and accepted a contract for a home. But, as we interviewed him today, he was in shock that the process was so smooth.

Trevor could land and purchase the first home he put an offer on, which is rare in this market. After that, he had to learn how to shop for a home, what he wanted in a new home, and decided to jump in, even with the market being a seller’s market.

Katie Gleed has been house-shopping for almost a year, putting in nearly 20 offers before she finally found a house to buy. She told her realtor several times during this process that she was done looking at homes out of frustration. Instead, she purchased a new build and loved the bright, open areas with lots of windows. Katie has excellent views and enjoys the space in her four-bedroom home.

She recommends “flirting with the market” to find your new home in this crazy market. You don’t have to seriously look at and consider every house that comes onto the market. Her advice is to take a step back and keep your toes in the market, but you don’t have to be all in all the time.