Last Updated on March 7, 2023 by growinghome.la

The first of Growing Home’s Ask an Expert Series – my interview with Juliet Oman of Stephanie Younger Group, a top real estate firm in Los Angeles. Juliet shares first time home buyer tips, how she got into real estate, and why she loves working with first time homebuyers.

Interview with Juliet Oman, Stephanie Younger Group, Los Angeles

LINDSAY, GROWING HOME: Before you got into real estate, what was your experience buying your first home?

JULIET: When I first became a homeowner, I moved into my husband’s house that he already owned. We had the best house on the worst street in the neighborhood. To help make it better, I decided to do a big tree planting and got local organizations involved. With help from local politicians, Tree People and the Boy Scouts we planted 28 trees. But nobody watered them or cared for them. Today, there are only 8 trees left of the 28, they died because nobody cared for them.

The next house I bought was the worst house on the best block. We had been driving around the area, looking for a tree-lined street. We happened to see a For Sale By Owner sign. It was a really run down house on the most beautiful street. We called the number and went in and saw it. It had a leaky roof and mold. But I loved the block so much and the backyard had been professionally landscaped but neglected. It had all these planter boxes. I could envision it with roses and foxgloves. The effort we put into renovating it at the time made us even more proud of the home because we put in our own sweat and tears.

First Time Home Buyer Tip #1: You can change your house, tear out walls, paint, change flooring and add on to it, but you can’t change your neighborhood. A good location is key.

LINDSAY: What is one thing that would have improved your experience with that first house? What was the biggest pain point?

JULIET: We didn’t have a real estate agent at the time, didn’t know much about inspections, didn’t know what I was missing. We were just so excited about moving onto that particular block – we thought so what, there’s mold in the walls, who cares? It’s going to be mine and I can make it better. Sometimes I can’t see past what needs to be done, but here I could. It had good bones. The remolding experience was stressful and painful because I had two little boys. I guess my tip would be that a renovation shouldn’t be done while you have small children living in the house at the same time, if you can help it.

First Time Home Buyer Tip #2: Keep an open mind about a home and try to imagine what it could be.

LINDSAY: What knowledge do you bring to your clients that’s unique?

JULIET: I worked in Beverly Hills for the first four years. It was very high end with celebrities and people from music industry. It was fun but it wasn’t clicking with me. I loved living in Westchester when my kids were little and I knew the community and every street because my kids had friends on every street. I knew about Little League, soccer programs and the schools. When I started selling in Westchester, I became Stephanie’s #1 agent within 2 years. I was selling something I really loved and believed in vs. some house that I didn’t really know.

white house surrounded by trees with brick chimney in front

First Time Home Buyer Tip #3: Find an agent that knows your desired neighborhood(s) intimately.

LINDSAY: How do you work with clients to find their perfect home?

JULIET: Some of my favorite people to work with are first-time homebuyers because I remember how exciting it was to buy my first home. When buyers say I don’t want to pay $5,000 more, I think – but this is where all your kid’s birthday parties and Christmases could be. If you don’t like the house that much, don’t buy the house, but don’t let $5,000 be the reason you don’t buy it. Don’t let principle get in the way of your family home.  If you think about it with a 20% loan, what really is that extra $5,000 over the course of a 30-year mortgage?

When I first meet with a client and they don’t know where they want to buy, we talk about what’s important to them. Is it schools or neighborhood parks? I have them pick a couple of communities and start out with them looking at open houses. I recommend that they go to one neighborhood at a time, check out some homes and have lunch on the main street. Get a feel for the community. I suggest going to one neighborhood per weekend if they’re still early on in their search. Just to explore a little bit.  

We sit down together (in person or via Zoom) and review any questions they have. I explain what to expect. The first step is to find the home. The hardest step is getting your offer accepted. I review offer strategies. I tell that not to make an offer on a house unless you’re 95% sure you want it. You don’t have to be 100% sure, because you have a period of time to investigate.

First Time Home Buyer Tip #4: Take time to discuss the process with your agent and ask any questions you have. A good real estate agent wants you to understand what you’re getting into and makes you feel as comfortable as possible.  

LINDSAY: What are three tips you can give to people thinking about buying their first home?

JULIET: First, you should get pre-approval from your lender. Pick a lender you feel comfortable with. You want to check rates, but you also want to have a lender that’s responsive to you. Your lender should be there on the phone with you helping to solve problems if any arise. You don’t want a lender who has you on the bottom of their big stack of paperwork. You should be comfortable with them.  

Second, I think if you’ve looked at 50 houses, you’ve looked at too many. Four houses per neighborhood would be best. You do need to look at other homes because you need to be able to compare your options. You might find the perfect home the first time you look at it, but you don’t feel as confident if you have nothing else to compare it to. Really know what you want and look at those kinds of homes. Don’t just look at every home.

For help with designing your personal home search framework, check out my free workbook, Map Out Your Dream Home.

Third, really get to know the neighborhoods you’re looking in. Walk the streets and talk to your potential neighbors. Visit the neighborhood at different times of the day too. You might see a house at 2pm and come back in a few hours and find a huge traffic jam that happens every day.  You want to find out as much as you can possibly know.

One more thing to look for when you’re considering a neighborhood – I always try to steer people away from backing busy streets or freeways. Those homes sit on the market for a while so you can get some opportunities, but when you go to sell, you’re going to have a hard time selling.  If you’re happy with it and it doesn’t’ bother you and you want to live there for 30 years, that’s fine. But if you might sell in 5 or 10 years, just know that’s a barrier for buyers and those roads are only going to get busier.

First Time Home Buyer Tips #5-7: Lenders, Clarity and Neighborhoods!

  • Find a lender that is responsive to you and any issues that may arise
  • Get clear on the type of home you’re looking for before you start going on home tours. While you want to be able to compare your options, too many options can be overwhelming
  • Spend time getting to know the neighborhood, its traffic patterns and your potential neighbors

LINDSAY: Do you have any other first time home buyer tips that you’d like to share?

JULIET: One topic we’re talking a lot about lately is the role of Zillow agents in the modern home-buying experience. If you’re getting connected to an agent via Zillow, it’s the luck of the draw. Whoever answers that call is connecting with buyers and getting clients, but they might have no experience. As an agent, you just have to be lucky enough to pick up that Zillow phone call. You don’t have to know an area or neighborhood to get the client. I’m much more involved than that. I like to connect with my buyers. I like recommendations rather than cold intros or Yelp reviews, which can be staged or paid for. A friend’s referral is always better.

I really want someone to be excited about their house. That’s exciting to me. If someone really loves their house, that’s the best outcome.

 Home Buyer Tip #8: Referrals are always best. 

At the end of the day, the best real estate agents want you to love your home and connect with you to make sure you have a good home-buying experience. Ask your friends, family or people in your network for referrals.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area and looking for an agent, check out Juliet at Stephanie Younger Group to learn more about how to work with her.

For more first time home buyer tips, see my post on 5 Critical Tips for First-Time Homebuyers.