Searching for the perfect house can be time-consuming and stressful. It can also be enjoyable and exciting! How do you make sure your house hunting process falls mostly into the second camp, and not into the first? Well, you can start by working to avoid these common house hunting mistakes.
Mistake #1: Starting without an agent.
Some buyers figure they'll visit a few homes, attend a few open houses, and see what's out there before hiring a real estate agent. But inevitably, this approach results in you finding a house you're interested in and then not having a real estate agent to represent you as you make an offer. You then have to try and navigate the process without an agent or work with the first agent you can find. Resist the urge to start house hunting until you've hired an agent. This way, you can take your time, interview a few agents, and find someone who you really jive with.
Mistake #2: Failing to identify your ideal neighborhood first.
Before you even start looking at homes, you should decide what neighborhoods you are willing to live in. This will save you from spending an hour touring a home only to decide that it's too far from your workplace or in a neighborhood that's not quite suitable to your needs.
Mistake #3: Only looking at houses that check every box.
You're not wrong to be selective when it comes to choosing a home. This is, after all, a place where you will spend the majority of your time. What you don't want to do, however, is only go to see houses that meet absolutely every one of your criteria. There will be very few homes that fit the bill. Be open to seeing houses that are almost exactly what you're looking for, but with a shortcoming or two. You will often realize, once you see the home, that the shortcoming is something you can modify or live with. For example, you may not tour a home because it doesn't have a fully fenced yard. But if you were to tour it, you'd realize that all it needs is a gate across the driveway to be fully fenced — and that it's otherwise perfect. Surely you can add a gate once you buy the home!
House-hunting can be a long, drawn-out process, but if you avoid the mistakes above, you can be confident that you're simplifying it where possible. Talk to real estate agents, like those at Ruth Stultz & Co. Real Estate and other offices, for more help and info.
Share15 July 2020
If you want to buy or sell property, read this blog to learn how a real estate agent or broker can help you make a successful purchase or sale. We don't work in real estate, but we do know the difficulties of trying to buy or sell without consulting with a real estate agent. We've done our research and we've also spoken with several agents and brokers to get information for this blog. As you read these posts you'll learn about the duties of an agent including showing properties, negotiating prices and preparing contracts. We hope that our blog gives you a better understanding about the responsibilities of real estate agents and how they can help you when buying or selling.
