The Blueprint
A clear path before you ever tour a home.
Most renters aren't just stuck because of money. They're stuck because they don't have a plan. The hard part is the dozen little decisions that show up before the first showing.
The Blueprint is the five-step process I use with first-time buyers in Indianapolis, as a Realtor with Roots Realty and @properties. It slows that down. First, we find your starting point. Then, we build the route from rent to keys at a pace you can actually live with.
Rent to keys. Five steps before the first real showing.
Why this exists
Showings are not a plan.
I learned that one the hard way. I toured 14 homes in one day, wrote an offer that night, and still sat in the driveway before walkthrough feeling sick.
Some buyers move quickly. Many spend 60 to 120 days in the first four steps before we tour a single home. Either way, we start with clarity.
- Step 01
Readiness Assessment
A fast readiness check across the stuff that actually decides whether buying feels realistic.
You leave with a clear score and the one area to focus on first.
- Step 02
Initial Consultation
We meet somewhere familiar and talk through what you want, what feels scary, and what pace fits your life.
You leave with a personal plan, a realistic timeline, and space to ask questions before making a move.
- Step 03
Pre-Approval
I introduce you to Brooke Peters so we can find the payment that feels comfortable, not just the biggest number a bank will approve.
You leave with a monthly number you can live with.
- Step 04
Needs vs. Wants
We sort the non-negotiables from the nice-to-haves before listing alerts start pulling you in every direction.
You leave with neighborhood and home priorities that make showings clearer.
- Step 05
Finding Your Home
Search, tours, offers, inspection, and closing happen with the plan already underneath us.
You move forward with a clearer path to your first home.
Start here
Start with the assessment. Leave with a plan.
Two minutes. No email needed to see your score. You'll know what feels solid, what needs work, and what your next move should be.
Start your plan →
Real buyers
What the steps looked like for buyers I worked with.
Every plan is different. These stories show which part of the path mattered most for each buyer, in their own timing.
Steps 1 to 4
Brandon & Rebecca
They reached out almost a year before they bought. We built the plan around budget, timeline and goals while their lease ran out, so they could make a strong decision when the right home came up.
Step 2
Grant & Katie
After a buyer consultation they saw they were already financially ready. What they needed was clarity on what they wanted and confidence in their numbers.
Step 3
Lyndon & Joelle
With a tight budget and an April lease deadline, we reviewed their numbers with Brooke first, then focused on homes with strong fundamentals over perfect finishes.
Step 4
Tyler & Gabby
Talking through their priorities and a first-time-buyer budget led them to look at new construction in Whitestown, a direction they had not considered.
Before we meet
Who does what, and in what order.
The questions buyers ask before the first coffee. No promises about rates, approval or timing, just how the work goes.
- What does working with Ian DeFelice involve?
Five steps, in order: a short readiness assessment, a coffee consultation, pre-approval with a lender, a needs-versus-wants conversation, and then the home search. Touring comes after the first four steps, so the plan is already underneath us. Once you find a home, I stay with you through the offer, inspection and closing.
- Who does what, the Realtor or the lender?
Your lender handles the loan: pre-approval, loan program, rate, documents and underwriting. I handle the home side: your needs and wants, the search, showings, offers, inspection and the path to closing. I introduce you to Brooke Peters, a mortgage lender I work with. You can choose your own lender. We keep both sides working from the same plan so the numbers and the search match.
- Why does the consultation come before pre-approval?
A pre-approval answers one question: what a lender may lend you. The consultation answers the earlier ones, like when you want to move, what payment feels comfortable and what you're trying to build. In that order, you walk into the lender conversation knowing what to ask. If you're already pre-approved, bring the letter and we'll start there.
- How do I know if I'm ready to start?
The assessment looks at five areas: personal readiness, financial readiness, mortgage knowledge, local market insight and how well you understand the process. It is a starting point, not a verdict. It also doesn't qualify or disqualify you for a loan, because only a lender can tell you what you may qualify for. You see your score and a next step without leaving an email.
- What if I'm not ready to buy yet?
Then this is where you start, not something to skip. Brandon and Rebecca first reached out almost a year before they bought. We built the plan around their budget and timeline while their lease ran out, and they made the move when they were ready. If your assessment shows a gap, we name it and work on it first. I won't push a timeline.
Sample report
Your starting plan, on one page.
After the assessment, you'll see where you stand across the areas that matter most: savings, timing, monthly comfort, mortgage readiness, and what you actually want in a home.
The goal is not to overwhelm you with information. It's to show you what feels solid, what needs work, and what your next move should be before we ever start touring homes.
Almost ready.
Your starting plan
- 1
Get one clean lender read
In the next 60 days, the biggest unlock is a plain-English pre-approval conversation so you know what is real before you tour.
- 2
Find your real monthly comfort number
Before you chase a max approval, we map payment, cash to close, emergency cushion, and the rent number you already know.
- 3
Pick your first search lanes
Choose a few areas and home types to compare. A narrower search gets useful faster than a wide-open one.
Where you're solid
- ✓Personal readiness — You have a reason to move, not just a saved search.
- ✓Process understanding — You already know the broad strokes of how an offer works.
What we'll work on
- →Financial readiness — We will sort savings, monthly comfort, and what the cushion really needs to be.
- →Pre-approval — A lender conversation before the first showing.
- →Local market insight — A few neighborhoods, side by side, before we start touring.
Not ready for the assessment?
Let's grab coffee.
No pitch. Bring the questions you keep circling, and we'll talk through what buying would actually look like for you.