Home Search Tips for Buyers

Home search tips

Home Search Tips for Buyers

Tips for starting your home search

 

Home Search Tips for Buyers

In today’s real estate market, with low inventory dominating the conversation in many areas of the country, it can often be frustrating to be a first-time homebuyer if you aren’t prepared. Listed below are some rather basic home search tips for home buyers can take use to help aid their search and keep their excitement on buying their home going.

1. Seek A Pre-Approval From Your Lender Before the Search

One way to show you are serious about buying the seller’s listed home is to come pre-qualified or pre-approved for a mortgage before starting your search. Similar if you are in a market that is not nearly as competitive, knowing your limits will help you gain the confidence of knowing whether or not the place where you envision growing old is realistically within your grasp. This step will also help you narrow your search based on your budget and won’t leave you disappointed if the home you tour, and love, ends up being outside your budget!

2. Know the Difference Between Your ‘Must-Haves’ and ‘Would-Like-To-Haves’

Is that the basement being finished really necessary to ensure the happiness of your choice on a home? Would a three-car tandem garage be a luxury or a requirement? Could the craft room or be a DIY project down the road instead of a deal breaker right now? Before you start your search, draft a list of all home features you would enjoy, this will ensure you stay focused on what’s absolutely most important.

3. Research, research, research! 

This cannot be said enough. Take your time and decide on an area where you’d be happy spending your life, each area has its own allure and appeal. Prior to committing to a home, consider doing a test drive at night of the area and its surrounding areas. Ensure the neighborhood meets your needs for a commute, school district, and amenities etc. and then spend a weekend exploring before committing.

4. Choose the Home Style You Can’t Live Without 

Consider the absolute needs of your family, from there decide on a home style that would best aid those desires. Deciding on an area does not obligate you to look at just the homes in that particular zip code. A consideration to make is if you have younger children and you would prefer that your bedroom is on the same level, you would likely prefer to opt out of Cape Cod–style homes. This particular style generally features two or more bedrooms on the upper level and the master on the main.

5. Pick an experienced agent

The right agent can make all the difference in the world. As an example, Jeff Anderson’s 30 years of experience is a huge asset for understanding areas, the quality, and issues with a potential home purchase, negotiation strategy, the inspection negotiation process, lending process, and title issues. So important to have a professional on your side.

6. Take Note of Your Home Tours

When starting the touring of potential homes, the individual features of each home will start to cloud in your memory. Be sure to keep your camera, or phone, handy and available to record what you love and don’t particularly like about each property you visit. Don’t be afraid to go as far as snapping a photo of the signage out front, this is an effort to assist in keeping the listings separated in your photo album. Bring along the printed listing sheet and take notes as you tour the property will also help you remember what the photos mean, or what you were feeling while touring the home. Video tours of each property that you feel will end up on the short-list would be very helpful.

Just to recap, when competing in a largely competitive atmosphere, any advantage you can have will make a sure difference you how satisfied you are with your new home, the price you paid and the buying process. Contact The Anderson Team Today for more information!

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