I will never forget my first time buying a house. How do I know that, only having gone through the process once? Well, every time a friend or family member tells me about their experience with a first-home purchase, I feel all the feels over again. The anticipation of the search, the letdown of the less-than-perfect listing, the incredible stress prior to close … and that first time you open the door to the place you own: That can’t be beaten, nor forgotten.

So if you’re looking to be part of that unforgettable experience — with the added benefit of being less forgettable when it comes time to sell — this issue is for you. Alongside every one of those indelible impressions is a real estate professional, and many of them who go through this process with new buyers say they get to feel some of the euphoria all over again. Of course, with your slice of the joy also comes the disappointment and intensity, too. And every new buyer — even one who’s worked in the real estate industry for years — needs a lot of hand-holding.

Whatever you do, don’t use the difficulties of the pandemic to write these guys off. New data from the National Association of Realtors reveals that first-time buyers have grown as an overall portion of the buyer pool in the last few months. Indeed, I have had a number of good friends go through the process in the last few months for the first time. One family even used the same agent I did five years ago on my recommendation — how’s that for unforgettable?

So read on to learn how the agents in our cover story serve this unique, expanding market in tough times. And if you have a story about a first in real estate, send it to me at meg.white@agentpublishing.com.