| Buying a Home |
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If you are browsing this portion of the library you are probably interested in buying a house, or at least your're thinking about it. Being prepared is probably the most important aspect in buying a new home. We hope that the following suggestions will give you a hand.
First, you need to equip yourself with some necessary tools for the job ahead. Each tool is important, and can make the transition into your new home a smooth one. As with most things in life, choose the right tool for the job and everything becomes much easier! |
| Select a Good Realtor |
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| The first tool you need is a good Realtor. How do you choose the one that is right for you? That's easy. Go to Open Houses in the neighborhoods you are interested in and meet the Realtors. Buying a home is a major life step, and you should choose your Realtor to fit your needs. Feeling comfortable with a Realtor means being able to trust your Realtor to make sure that the transaction is being carefully watched to completion. Find out what your Realtors' background is. What kind of experience do they have in real estate? What additional training and certifications do they have? What kind of standing do they have in their profession? Ask your friends who they used to buy a home through. Chances are they will tell you in all honesty if their Realtor was good or not. If you have access to a computer, browse some of the real estate sites in the area that you desire. Many of these sites will provide you information on individual realtors as well as show the types of homes that person is selling. |
| Get Prequalified for a Loan |
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| Choosing a good Realtor can also simply the rest of your tasks. Before going out to look at homes, your Realtor will probably have you talk with a lender and get prequalified. This important step will save everyone both time and frustration. Unfortunately, we have seen prospective buyers get excited about a home that another Realtor showed them, only to find out that it was beyond their financial reach. After seeing that home, nothing else they saw looked as nice. |
| Look at Homes |
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| Now that you have your trusted Realtor and you have been prequalified, what is your next step? Get out there and look at homes! There are many homes coming on the market every day, and your Realtor will probably be looking at most of them. But occassionally one may slip through the cracks, so keep your eyes open. If you see something that looks interesting, call your Realtor. When you visit Open Houses, make sure to tell the agent hosting the house that you are working with someone already. Loyalty to a good agent is always a safe bet! Between you and your agent, you should be able to scour the market for every possible lead. Your realtor can also help save you time by showing you listings that meet your requirements through such tools as the Multiple Listing Books. If you have a computer, both you and your realtor can search for listings. Your realtor can email you listings that look especially favorable. |
| Know Your Market |
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| The last tool you need is market knowledge. We try to ensure that our buyers know exactly what their money will buy in a given section of the market. By educating our buyers, we ensure that when the perfect home comes up for sale, that our buyers will recognize it and be in a position to make an offer that is within their budget, and ultimately becomes their new home! |