Brooke Spata works as a purchasing technician for the Town of Brookhaven and bartends twice a week. Last year, she picked up what felt like a third job: Looking for a house.

In her free time, Spata kept a close eye on Zillow and Facebook. When a new listing popped up that fit her criteria, she’d scroll through it right away, and make plans to visit in person.

Spata made offers on several homes, from West Islip to Manorville, only to be sent back to square one by people who outbid her wielding all cash offers. This went on for a year.

“There were some months where I definitely gave up,” said Spata, 33.

Then in April, it happened. A three-bedroom, two-bathroom house came on the market in Ridge, and she and her husband, Frank Spata, purchased it for $515,000.

As sale prices continue to climb amid low inventory, it might seem impossible to land your dream home on Long Island right now. But there are a few keys to success in your house-hunting journey. Persistence, like Spata's, is one — and sometimes, settling becomes an option, too.

Some new homeowners and real estate experts shared their tips, tricks and advice on what to expect when starting to house-hunt, and how to set yourself up for success.

Key #1: Be persistent — and aggressive

You can get really impatient with the process ... But take your time, and get what you want.

— Brooke Spata

Denise Schook hadn't bought a home since 2005. This time around, she and her husband looked for a house on and off over three years, ultimately deciding to move into a condo due to the bidding wars they witnessed post-pandemic.

Like Spata, Schook was constantly looking at new listings online.

“It consumed me,” said Schook, 68. “I don’t know how many hours I spent, but it was a lot. When I first bought my other homes, it was exciting. This was a job — this was tedious and it wasn't fun.”

Despite taking some breaks while looking due to the pandemic, Schook persevered, and she and her husband moved into their new home last October. They put down about six offers before landing their three-bed, 1½-bath Holbrook condo for $465,000.

The biggest challenges were things out of her control, like the competition that came with such a high demand.

“It should have been a happy time, buying a home,” said Schook, who is retired. “Whether it’s your first or your last.”

“But I love where I am now,” she said.

It should have been a happy time, buying a home. Whether it’s your first or your last.

— Denise Schook

Staying on top of the latest listings helps buyers to be competitive. But once you’ve gotten in the door and find the property to be a good fit, the real battle begins.

“I always say, try to save as much money and put as much down as you can,” said real estate agent Taleen Krug, who is based in the Coldwell Banker American Homes' East Meadow office. “I think your typical 20% is great, but anything above and beyond that really stands out for sellers. Make your prices as aggressive as you can.”

Working with an agent who will be your advocate and look into properties on your behalf is important during this stage of the process too, said William Walters, of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, based in Greenport.

“You have to get out there and look at properties and educate yourself on the market,” he added. “So when the right one comes along, you’re ready to jump on it.”

"If you see something you like and the first bite of the apple does not work out, but it stays on the market, stay on it."

— William Walters

Credit: Williams Walters

And sometimes, it’s a waiting game — Walters recently worked with a first-time homebuyer who had his heart set on a house in Jamesport, but the seller was only interested in all-cash offers. Over four months, he and his client kept “re-offering our offer,” and eventually it was accepted.

“If you see something you like and the first bite of the apple does not work out, but it stays on the market, stay on it,” Walters said. “Sometimes it takes sellers a while to go through the process and consider something that they didn't think they were going to consider initially.”

Key #2: Communicate — ask questions, be honest

Krug knows the importance of first impressions. During the pandemic, she connected via Zoom with lots of prospective clients who would be buying homes for the first time.

When starting your home search, “pick two or three different agents and interview them,” she suggested. For example, ask your potential real estate agent about their background, their strategy to help you land your home and how well they know your desired radius, Krug said.

“And research them,” she added. “I think it’s important for any consumer to read reviews.”

"Pick two or three different agents and interview them... And research them. I think it’s important for any consumer to read reviews."

— Taleen Krug, Coldwell Banker American Homes real estate agent

Credit: EPM Real Estate Photography

During this introductory phase, you can also get a sense of your real estate agent’s personality before enlisting their help. “Make sure you guys work well together, because you’re going to be in constant communication,” Krug said.

Once you’ve interviewed and selected your agent, making sure they’re asking the right questions, too, is important. Walters said that comes into play once clients find a property in which they’re interested.

“If you’re getting ready to put an offer in, as a buyer’s agent, we’d ask the listing agent a lot of questions, like what’s the seller’s motivation,” said Walters. Having background information about the seller’s timeline and extra details about the property itself “could put you in a first-place position, if you place an offer,” he added.

It’s also important to be upfront with your real estate agent about your own financial situation, so the agent can determine how to highlight your strengths as a homebuyer when it’s time to make an offer, said Tatiana Valverde,a broker, CEO and founder of Cosmo Group Realty, based in Woodbury.

For instance, if you have a strong down payment, good credit or an approval letter “where you can show they actually can close,” Valverde said, your agent can help to put your best foot forward.

“We find the strengths in each buyer to make them shine a little bit more, because everybody’s different,” she said.

If you have a strong down payment, good credit or an approval letter "where you can show they actually can close," your agent can help to put your best foot forward.

— Tatiana Valverde, broker, founder and CEO of Cosmo Group Realty

Credit: Susan Eckert

As the process moves forward and your team expands to include a mortgage lender, attorney and inspector, getting a sense of their expertise can help a homebuyer get to the closing table.

Quentin Hardy is a loan originator with Newrez, based in Melville, and manager of their national renovation program. He has also published three books on homeownership, including one that focuses on the Long Island market.

“I do find many of the first-time home buyers I speak with, even if they've spoken with other lenders, will have no idea how they were approved or pre-approved for a certain amount,” Hardy said. “They don't understand how they arrived at that number.”

“So I make sure I explain it to them,” he continued, “so they can make an appropriate decision on such a large purchase.”

Key #3: Get your information from the right sources

Don't ask the Realtor legal questions, don't ask the attorney mortgage questions.

— Quentin Hardy, Melville-based loan originator with Newrez

Hardy highly recommends vetting your websites when getting information about homebuying or, when possible, going directly to the source: Your team of real estate professionals. But posing your questions to the expert best suited to answer them is key, he said. That way, you can be sure you’re receiving the most accurate information possible.

“Make sure you’re looking into their guidance, because they've done this before,” Hardy said. “And make sure you’re asking the right one, the right questions. Don't ask the Realtor legal questions; don't ask the attorney mortgage questions."

For first-time homebuyers on Long Island facing a language barrier or moving here from another country, Valverde’s team educates clients about the process and how it may differ in the United States. There are agents in her office who speak Spanish, Hindi, Urdu, German, Russian and Punjabi, she said.

Beyond your own team, there are plenty of books and online resources to choose from, plus first-time homebuyer counseling offered monthly via Zoom by the Long Island Housing Partnership, a nonprofit based in Hauppauge. Advice from a friend or family member who has been through the homebuying process won’t necessarily offer insight to your current situation.

“Sometimes they’re getting information from someone who bought a house 20 or 30 years ago, and the process was different and the market was different,” Hardy said. “There are plenty of resources out there — just make sure they’re valid.”

Being knowledgeable of the types of loans you can apply for as a first-time homebuyer may also widen your perspective when looking at different types of houses.

“I do a lot of renovation loans,” Hardy said. “If you’re looking at a property that’s not in the exact condition you want, or if it needs upgrades, first-time homebuyers can include the renovation in the mortgage. Make sure you’re including that in your repertoire of possibilities.”

Listings on OneKey MLS also provide down payment assistance options, with a clickable link to determine your eligibility.

As far as just looking for houses, listing sites offer services like email and text notifications for your saved search criteria, so you can be notified quickly about any new house on the market you might be interested in.

Key #4: The timing may not be right, but that’s OK

Spata’s homebuying timeline was pushed back because of the pandemic. She and her husband had their wedding scheduled for July 2020, and planned to buy a house after that with the help of monetary gifts from their nuptials.

So when they had to postpone their big day to 2021, they couldn’t “jump on the bandwagon of everybody buying houses during COVID,” she said.

But Spata attributes her successful home purchase to having good credit, patience and a decent search radius.

Before the pandemic, there were certain times of the year that were ideal to look for and purchase a house, Krug said. But since then, and due to the low inventory, that has completely changed.

“I think now, really anytime is a good time to buy,” she said. “I recommend that anyone thinking about buying should have done it yesterday. There is not a time when it’s slower or busier in this current climate.”

I recommend that anyone thinking about buying should have done it yesterday. There is not a time when it’s slower or busier in this current climate.

— Taleen Krug

“For the serious buyer, you have to be serious about it 12 months of the year,” Walters added. He also suggested for buyers “not to be so afraid to pull the trigger where interest rates are.”

Hardy agrees that consumers are “paying too much attention” to the rates, when really they should focus more on long-term home value, which is expected to rise over the next few years, he said.

“Mortgage rates are about average,” he said. “It’s where they’ve been the last 40 to 50 years, but they seem high because we’re coming off historic lows. If you can afford to buy a home with today’s rates — if the rates go up, you’ll be glad you bought at these rates. If they stay the same, you don’t care what happens. And if they go down, you can always refinance.”

Key #5: Keep an open mind

One of Spata’s motivations for her family to move out of their condo was so their son, who is turning 2 in September, wouldn't have to sleep in a shared bedroom anymore. The couple also has a 5-year-old daughter, so Spata’s need for more space in a home of their own pushed them to keep looking. The family searched for houses in the $450,000 to $600,000 range.

“Six hundred thousand was our breaking point,” Spata said. “We didn’t want to go over that, but for any house in the $450,000 range, we had to offer up.”

The family "settled on a smaller house because it was finished" and didn't require much work, she said.

Even though the house is smaller than what Spata first had in mind, the previous owner took “really good care” of it, and she reached her goal of providing bedrooms for each of her kids.

While it’s generally better to buy sooner than later if you have the means to do so, experts say, Spata suggests taking it easy while searching, in order to find a home you truly love.

“You can get really impatient with the process, with everybody beating you out in a cash offer when you finally feel like you have something,'' she said. ''But take your time, and get what you want.”

By Rachel Weiss

rachel.weiss@newsday.com@RachMWeiss

Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.