 Sit down and really sort out what it is your looking for. Be honest and don't hold back. Write them down and rank everything in order of importance. Get to the core of what is most important to you in a home and work out from there. For instance, a family with two children would require at least 3 bedrooms. Losing a bedroom would not be negotiable. At minimum, they may need 2 bathrooms but would prefer at least 2˝ -3 baths. That extra bath may be negotiable if they were to find the right home had only 2 bathrooms. The reason it's important to know what your non-negotiable and negotiable needs are is so that you can be as specific as possible and understand up front what you are willing to give up and what you are not should you come across the right home. This will also assist your agent better in narrowing down your home search so you only see the homes that are truly suitable, saving you time and energy. Finding the Right Neighborhood: Once you've determined your price range, look for neighborhoods with homes in your range. The rule of thumb in real estate is that Buyers will buy a lesser home in their preferred neighborhood than they would their preferred home in a lesser neighborhood. That's because you can always fix up a home later to suit you... So find a neighborhood you think you can live with. It is your responsibility, not the Agent's, to discover if this neighborhood is truly right for you. - Check out your commute route from this neighborhood.
- Check out distances to schools, churches, shops and other places where you would frequent at different times of of the day to determine traffic patterns
- Drive by at different times of the day and on the weekend. A quiet neighborhood during the week can easily turn into a noisy party street during the weekend.
- Talk to residents to get their insights. People always love to talk about their neighborhood and are usually very candid with their opinions about it.
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Address any Issues Up Front: Discuss with your REALTOR® any issues or problems you have that may impede your purchase of a new home. If you are planning on getting family assistance for the down-payment, get it settled in advance or get a confirmation in writing. Talk to your Agent, she can provide you the appropriate advice for your particular situation. If you currently own a home and need to sell it before you can purchase another one and aren't sure how to go about it, discuss it with your Agent. This happens all the time and your Agent can advise on the best course of action for your particular situation and local market condition. If you're looking for investment property - make sure you protect yourself -- how? Knowledge and the assistance of a good REALTOR®. Check out my page for Investors before you do anything...a few minutes spent now can save you money, time and whole lot of grief later! Some items to consider and rank:- Neighborhood/Area
- Price
- # of bedrooms
- # of bathrooms
- Square Footage
- One-level versus two-level
- 2-car garage
- Bonus Room
| - Condition of home
- Age of home
- Floorplan
- Maintenance
- Lot Size
- Privacy
- Amenities
- Storage
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