A HUNTING WE WILL GO–STRESS FREE!
February 12th, 2009 categories: Buying
A few simple actions can make looking for a new home relatively stress free. Probably the first step is to choose a Realtor–that person should be someone you trust, someone who will be totally honest with you. You should talk to your Realtor frequently and openly. The following suggestions will help smoothe the home hunting process.
- Get pre-approved by a lender. Have a copy sent to your Realtor. This will give you the dollar amount for your new home. You may want to spend less if you feel the monthly cost of housing will be uncomfortable–too few dinners out, no Starbucks in the morning–figure out what is essential for your happiness and feelings of well being and adjust your housing costs accordingly.
- Make a list of must-haves and would like to haves–for instance is having a condo with a washer and dryer an essential for you? Make the list as specific as possible and the list should include the areas that you find most desirable, second most desirable and would not live there if you gave it to me. Give this list to your Realtor also make copies that can go with you to every listing.
- Find out how many properties you can see without going brain dead–four is a good place to start. Some people are in overload after two or three and others can see ten or twelve in a day.
- ORGANIZE–typically you will have a listing sheet for each property–staple this sheet to your wants and needs list that you have checked to see how the property matches up. There will also be neighborhood information, maps, public transportation information–on and on and on. Typically a large folder or envelope can help you keep like pieces of paper with like pieces of paper–some people like to use a three-ring binder with divisions for different kinds of information.
- Your Realtor can e-mail listing to you so that you can weed out the impossible from the possible before you even view a property. Most listings today have interior pictures that are extremely helpful. Drive around the neighborhoods you find most desireable at all times of the day and week–you might be surprised!
- Buying a new home is a reflective process–your wants and needs liist may change–just let your Realtor know if it does.
Related articles: Home Affordability And Mortgage Rates, 2-09; Buyers–Make It A Smooth Move, 2-09
Would you like the help of a Realtor with twenty years experience–if so, just call me at 312-981-2360.
This entry was posted on Thursday, February 12th, 2009 at 12:47 pm and is filed under Buying. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
