Start Here! 4 Steps to Begin Your Home Search.
Finding a home in theory, can be great fun! Like shopping for anything else, some do it for sport. Finding the home that you will actually move into and pay for is likely much more intimidating. In this week’s #ProTipTuesday we will give you a few helpful tips on where to start. You probably expect me to say call us, we’ll get to that later but first things first.
- Decide how much you can afford or are comfortable spending.
There are several online mortgage calculators available and they can do a great job of giving you an estimate of how much money you can comfortably spend. We recommend speaking with your own mortgage professional who can tell you what you qualify for and can walk you through the numbers to nail down purchase amount. If you need a suggestion, we have worked with many mortgage lenders over the years and have some great folks we can put you in touch with. It is important to have an approval letter from a mortgage lender before finding the home you love. That letter proves to the seller that you are able to buy the house in addition to being willing and ready. It also prevents you from falling in love with a house that you cannot afford.
- List the things that are most important to you.
Location, school zone, style of home, size of home, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, size of the yard or countless others. There are many things that go into making a house your home. If there are items that are must-have, establish them early. It is possible that a certain style or size of home is not available in your preferred location or at your price point. You’ll need to decide which items take precedence over others, there is often a trade-off.
- Take a look to see what is out there.
Once you have decided what you want, where you want it and how much you can pay for it, check out your options. This can be done by driving around the area, looking online or calling your Realtor, we hope that will be us. There are a number of reasons that you will be best served by working with an agent; we know the market, know how quickly or slowly homes are selling, and what is actually out there. As discussed before, online real estate sites don’t always have up to date information.
- Give us a call.
You knew that was coming. In all seriousness, buyers do not pay their agent a commission. All commissions are paid by the seller, according to their agreement with the selling agent. The seller likely has an agent working for them, you should have one working for you. We can help point you in the right direction, set up a search that fits your criteria, make inquires for you and negotiate on your behalf. Above all, we will always be honest with you. What you are looking for may not exist, we can save you a lot of time by letting you know.
This will give you a great start. You’ll want to start looking as soon as you figure out what you need, what you want, and what you can comfortably afford. Whether you choose to begin your search working with a real estate agent, you should certainly finish your search with one. You don’t have to pay for it, you benefit from our experience, and its always nice to know that you have someone in your corner. We would love to be those agents, with us you get a two for one deal. Did we miss anything? Leave us a comment on our social media pages or give us a call.
