My First Home: A Step-By-Step Guide to Achieving the Ultimate American Dream

First time home buying is a special occasion in everyone’s life. But because of the complexities around it, most people approach it with a mix of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty.This book was written with the sole purpose of making the process easier and more predictable. The book has tried to demystify the entire process by avoiding the jargon as much as possible. The book first helps you in deciding whether you are ready to buy or not and then gives a step by step instruction on what you can expect along the process should you decide to buy. The book takes it a step further and even advises you on steps you can take to remain a happy home owner.The book has been designed with a lot of thought, keeping you the reader in mind.It’s broken down into 5 sections.Section 1 is titled “Getting Ready”. It helps with the preliminary work you need to do to even consider home buying. Section 2 provides all the information you need to find your first home and get your offer accepted. Section 3 teaches you about different financing and down payment options.Section 4 details the loan process and the blunders to avoid. Section 5 is all about life after home ownership. From decorating ideas to how to pay off your mortgage faster, you will find invaluable tips in this section to stay a happy homeowner for years to come.Authored by Shashank Shekhar, a mortgage industry veteran and one of the top Loan Officers in the country, the tips and tricks come directly from the trenches.

Shashank was named 2022 and 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year and the winner of the Stevie Awards by American Business Awards.
After starting his business in possibly the worst year for financial markets, i.e., 2008, Shashank Shekhar has led InstaMortgage to be one of the fastest-growing mortgage companies in America and the fastest-growing private company in Silicon Valley. The company was also named to the Inc 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America (aka "Most Exclusive Club in Business").
Shashank is the host of the podcast - Shashank Redemption, where he and his guests talk about entrepreneurship and technology related to Fintechs and Proptechs.

His blog was named one of the top 30 mortgage blogs in the world by Feedspot. Shashank also writes for Inc, Housing Wire, Entrepreneur, and Forbes. He is frequently quoted by national media for his mortgage expertise. He is an official member of the Forbes Finance Council and a member of the editorial board at Bankrate.
In September 2020, Shashank led his team to create Rachel, the world's first digital human in the mortgage industry.
Shashank has been named several times to the "most influential" and "most connected" mortgage professional list. 
He is also a regular on the speaking circuit with frequent keynotes at Mortgage, Real Estate, and Business events. NMLS 8176