The Home Search

Tips for making the home search more productive.

1. Location, Location, Location.  Location is the single most significant factor in choosing a home.  Until you know the area you want to live in, you can't begin the search.  Your REALTOR®can help you if you are unfamiliar with the area.  Just be prepared to tell your REALTOR®what things are important to you.  Following are a few things to consider.  How far do you want to drive to work?  What about the schools?  Are shopping centers important?  Do you need public transportation?  How easy will it be to sell the home within a few years?  Armed with this information, your REALTOR®will be able to help find the perfect neighborhood. 

2. Write it down. Do you (and your husband/wife, if you're married) really know what you need and want in your home? You'll eliminate hours of wasteful browsing if you establish your wants and needs in advance. Prioritize your list by placing your criteria into columns of: Must Have; Nice to Have; Don't Want. 

3. Get mortgage pre-approval. The amount you can qualify for depends on many things including household income, credit information, interest rates, loan type, and how much money you have for closing costs and down payment.  Instead of guessing what you can afford to spend, go ahead and apply for a loan with a mortgage professional.  Once you're pre-approved, the loan provider will give you a pre-approval letter that in essence makes you a cash buyer--which can save you thousands of dollars.  This is a much better approach than basing the amoung on what you're comfortable with...The true amount may be way more or less than you think.

4. Use a checklist. Touring multiple homes is a confusing experience for most people. Rather than relying on memory, make notes about the homes you visit. Turn your priorities into a personalized home-shopping checklist and use it track the features of each home.  Then play cards (see number 5)

5. Play Cards. To cut down on confusion, play 3-card stud.  Keep only the top 3 properties as those to be considered...then when a 4th property seems appealing, you have to get rid of one...because you can only have 3 (trying to decide between a larger number of homes is too confusing).  Playing 3-card stud keeps you making decisions as you look, rather than deferring them until later when the details aren't as fresh.  Play cards to win.

6. Dress prepared to work - in comfortable clothing and shoes (no open toes). Touring homes is tiresome and becomes more so as the day goes on...especially if you see 10 homes in one day.   Don't wear anything that will be a problem if you tour a construction site.

7. Be prepared to make an offer.  Looking for a house can be very frustrating if you are looking for the "perfect" house.  If you're only going to make an offer when the "perfect house" comes along, you may not be emotionally or financially ready to buy a home. Why?  Because there is no such thing as a perfect house.  Even if you drew the plans yourself and oversaw the construction...by the time it is finished, you can rest assured that something in your life will have changed that makes it less than perfect.  So do some soul-searching.  If you're only willing to offer on the "perfect" house, you're probably not ready.  If you're not ready, don't put yourself through the exercise. If you are ready, go through a blank purchase contract ahead of time so you'll know what decisions you'll face when you make an offer. Then, when an excellent choice presents itself...offer!

8. Breathe.  Yes, this is one of the largest decisions you'll make in your life.  However, it's not worth making yourself crazy over...take time to breathe!  Always set aside time at the end of the house-hunting day to review what you've seen and see what adjustments need to be made in your search criteria.  Then, relax and take a breath.