New country, first house
Shuai and Linwei had never bought a home in the United States — and they were buying in one of the hottest seller's markets in years. In December 2022 they closed on their first home in St. Louis, with every contingency they needed intact.
Renting didn't add up
Shuai and Linwei were doctors doing their residency at a St. Louis teaching hospital, and like a lot of residents, they ran the numbers and decided buying beat renting for the years they'd be here. One catch: they'd never bought a home in the United States, and the process here looks nothing like the process back home.
Explaining a system from scratch
Most first-time buyers need the process explained. Shuai and Linwei needed the whole system explained — earnest money, inspections, appraisals, title companies, none of it maps to how homes are bought in China. We toured house after house, often on same-day notice, and at each one I pointed out the flaws, not just the features, so they could build their own sense of what a house here is worth. A Chinese-speaking lender rounded out the team, so nothing got lost between the numbers and the paperwork.
Winning without gambling
They were buying when buyers all around them were waiving inspections and appraisals just to win. We talked honestly about what it takes to compete — and which risks a first-time buyer should never take just to get a yes. We lost a few houses to buyers willing to gamble more. Then we won the right one: in their price range, at a number they were comfortable with, keeping the contingencies they needed. We closed right through the Christmas and New Year holidays without missing a step.
The thank-you dinner
After closing, they insisted on taking me to dinner — a very authentic Chinese restaurant in University City, and I mean authentic. I let them order. I was born in the States, so my tastes lean more beef-and-broccoli than what showed up at that table, but I sampled everything and had a great time. I did politely decline the leftovers. I felt like I should be thanking them for letting me help, and they wouldn't hear of it.
作为首次买家，我和我的妻子对美国的买房过程不了解，在open house看过一些房子之后，决定找个agent给我们下offer。我们通过在app上的推荐，找到了Gary做为我们的agent。Gary很热情，每次约他去看房都能很快回复，甚至当天约当天看都可以。由于我们对美国的买房程序有很多不清楚的地方，他总会很耐心地和我们讲解，让我们认识到在美国买房和国内太不相同了。在美国，每个房屋的结构特点都各不相同， Gary非常专业，都会给我们指出每个房子的硬伤，能让我们很快地了解到每个房子的优缺点，从而迅速做出正确的决定。在下offer期间，他都会积极与卖方沟通，了解卖方的需求，从而使得我们每次下offer都很准确，即使很多时候由于各种原因都没能拿到房子。在我们对现在的房子下offer期间，Gary对整个过程都给与了很大的帮助，帮我们介绍房屋的inspection，保险等，都比我们自己找的更便宜省心。他对每个步骤都很上心，确保了整个买房过程都很顺利地进行，即使是在圣诞元旦假期之间。我们的房子屋顶有些小问题，在closing之后他仍然很热心地给我们联系房屋保险，关心我们的房子状况。总而言之，在整个买房子的过程中，他都让我们感觉像朋友一样，让整个过程变得轻松有效率。十分感谢Gary帮我们找到了心仪的房子！
Translated: As first-time buyers, my wife and I didn't understand the American home-buying process. After seeing some houses at open houses, we decided to find an agent to make offers for us. We found Gary through a recommendation on an app. Gary was warm and responsive — every time we asked to see a house he replied quickly; we could even ask and see it the same day. Since there was a lot about the U.S. home-buying process we didn't understand, he always explained things patiently, and we realized how different buying a home in America is from back home. In the U.S., every house is structurally different, and Gary was very professional — he'd point out each house's serious flaws so we could quickly understand the pros and cons and make the right decision fast. When we made offers, he actively communicated with the sellers to understand what they needed, so our offers were always on target, even though many times we didn't get the house for one reason or another. When we made the offer on our current house, Gary helped enormously through the whole process — referring us for the inspection, insurance and so on, all cheaper and less hassle than what we'd found ourselves. He was attentive at every step and made sure the whole purchase went smoothly, even over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Our house had a small roof issue, and even after closing he warmly contacted the homeowners insurance for us and checked on how the house was doing. All in all, through the whole process he made us feel like friends, and made everything easy and efficient. Huge thanks to Gary for helping us find the home we had our hearts set on!
Your story could be next
New to the U.S. home-buying process — or just new to buying? The first step is one conversation, in plain language.