6 Simple Tips to Make the Home Buying Experience Fun, Profitable and Efficient

In Buyers by Doug Phelps

The home buying search should be fun.  It should also be an efficient use of a buyer’s time, and rewarding in getting that perfect home.

This may sound like a tall order, but it doesn’t have to be.  Here are 6 simple suggestions to get home:

Analyze your lifestyle

Create a list that reflects the lifestyle you want. Will you do more (or less) entertaining?  Is yard work something you enjoy or something you want to eliminate?  Do guests stay with you often?  By identifying your lifestyle in detail, you help yourselves and your Realtor zero in on finding potential properties that meet your needs.

Get pre-approved

This is more than just a quick pre-qualification, but a more in-depth evaluation by a lender for a loan. This will keep you from wasting valuable time looking at homes you can’t afford, increase your negotiating position, and speed up the whole process.

Stick to your requirements

It can be fun to look at more costly homes than you can afford, but save yourself the time and anguish in visiting these properties.  Also, as you visit a property and quickly determine it doesn’t meet your needs or you just don’t like it – even before you go in the front door – it’s ok to stop the tour or simply not start.

Avoid the seller

It’s always preferable for the sellers to be out of the house when prospective buyers are viewing the property. But if you do meet the sellers, don’t get drawn into a conversation.  It’ not that you’re being unfriendly; it’s just that most people reveal  too much information in casual conversation. You could easily say something that makes it more difficult to negotiate with the seller.

Keep a proper perspective

Professionally decorated new homes and resale homes that are staged are always appealing because they are clean, clutter-free and beautifully decorated.  Analyze the living spaces with regard to your family’s lifestyle.  Don’t be completely turned off by the color of the carpeting or dated paint.  Look beyond these and analyze the true features of the house.

Take notes

It only takes two properties to begin the “mix and mis-match” game.  In your head you will start combining features of one house with features of another.  Write down thoughts and feelings that come to you during the tour, this will make it easier to later on remember and accurately compare properties.

As a real estate professional it’s easier to see potential problems or spot a “diamond in the rough” than it would be for someone who doesn’t look at homes on a daily basis. So if you’re giving thought to jumping into the market, make the experience a wise and profitable use of your time. Call and let’s start with a no-cost, no-obligation, in-depth analysis of your needs, the market and how we can work together to achieve your goals. Your timing could not be better!

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