Three Tips To Make Finding The Right Home Faster And Easier
Everyone is too busy to spend time touring homes for sale they will never buy. It may seem tempting to look at everything in a desirable neighborhood, just in case. Unfortunately, this method wastes the time of the agent, the buyer, and the seller. There are easy ways to speed up the process and a lot of it relies on the actions of the potential buyer. Here is how to be fully prepared for an initial meeting:
Know the Budget
Getting pre-approved will narrow down the options and make the agent more confident of the buyers' sincerity. It is also important that the buyer, either an individual or couple, sit down and review their own budget. The amount they were approved for may be more than the mortgage payment they desire. Remember to add in property taxes and insurance and to keep something available for repairs and maintenance. With this information, the agent will easily be able to find homes in the appropriate price range.
Choose an Area
Research first to decide the city and type of neighborhood preferred. It is acceptable to suggest several options if there are bordering towns that are equally appealing. Do not leave it open to living anywhere because very few people are actually comfortable with that choice. This will only lead to searching for a reason to not want every home in a neighborhood that makes them unhappy or uncomfortable. It is better to just eliminate those houses from the search area from the start.
Describe All Preferences
How many rooms, the need for a garage or finished basement and other big details are easy to remember. Include the smaller preferences that could influence the desire to finally make an offer. This might be the proximity to a park, the desire for a deck off the back of the house or a home with large windows or gardening space. Anything that pops up when thinking about the perfect home deserves to be mentioned. It may not always be possible to get everything, but people are more likely to find their perfect home sooner when they provide their agent with the details that are important to them.
Most agents want to get their buyers into homes as quickly as possible and will listen carefully to their clients. Find someone else if the agent has been given all of the information they need and they still insist on showing unacceptable houses. Home buyers do have the upper hand in this type of situation and they should never feel they are being coerced into purchasing something other than what is best for them.
