Buying A Home:
Finding a Home
If you haven't
brought me in on the process yet, this is where
you want to contact me. With the Multiple Listing
Service at my disposal, I can identify the best
homes for you that are currently on the market.
We'll need to sit down for a while and talk about
your home-buying goals so we're sure we're on the
same page. I'll do all the preliminary pre-screening
for you to make the home search as productive as
possible.
Touring multiple
homes is a confusing experience for most people.
Rather than relying on memory, make notes about
the homes we visit. Turn your priorities into a
personalized home-shopping checklist and use it
track the features of each home.
To make the
process simpler, I've prepared a couple of
worksheets:
Wear comfortable
clothing and sturdy shoes. House-hunting can be
tiring, especially if you're relocating to a
distant community and want to see a dozen homes
in one day. There's no sense in torturing your
feet unnecessarily.
Have reasonable
expectations. There is a lot of money at stake.
No house is perfect. Understanding and
remembering these two statements will help
diffuse the negotiation stage, the inspection
stage and the closing stage. Emotions are high
for both buyers and sellers. - The seller may
have loving memories and years of sweat equity in
the house. Maybe they are being relocated and
don't want to go. Understanding their motivations
for selling will help you appreciate their
situation and predicament during these emotional
times.
Be prepared to
make an offer. House-hunting can also be
frustrating, especially if you know in your heart
you're not really emotionally or financially
ready to buy a home. If you're not ready, don't
put yourself through the exercise. If you are
ready, go through a blank purchase contract ahead
of time so you'll know what decisions you'll face
when you make an offer.
Relax. Granted,
buying a home is a major life-altering event. But
it's not worth making yourself insanely crazy or
super-duper stressed. Save time at the end of
your house-hunting expedition to unwind, calm
your thoughts and emotions and keep the whole
experience in perspective.
Next: Offer
& Contract
or
Return to Buying/Selling Tips
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