| 3. Searching For A Home Introduction
The Right Frame of Mind
Making a Time Commitment to Your Home Search
Viewing Homes For Sale
Considerations When Viewing a Home
Timing: Selling Your Present Home
Other Sources of Property for Sale
What to Do if You Discover a Home You Like on Your Own
Open House Etiquette
Can’t Find the Perfect Home Introduction
If the first thing an agent wants to do is to drive you around, go find another agent. Experienced agents don’t drive people around before interviewing them first. Also, a good agent will have you begin the loan process immediately. We're not talking about getting pre-qualified, we're talking about getting approved for a loan. This will put you in the strongest possible negotiating position. Buying a home can be an emotionally draining experience. Finding the right home can be a time consuming endeavor. You must be willing to make a commitment of your time and effort to work with your agent. The best properties sell quickly, prices are up, and it can be tough to find a home with just right mix of size, location, amenities, and emotional appeal. E-mail me for free Excel worksheets that you can use to qualify yourself for a mortgage loan and to estimate the closings costs and monthly payments. Fill out our questionnaire and I can e-mail you MLS listing that meet your criteria. Fill out our questionnaire and I can e-mail you MLS listing that meet your criteria. Before starting your search make out two lists of what you are looking for in a house: those things that you must have, and those things that you would like to have. When talking to your realtor, go over not only what you want, but why you want those things - a good realtor may be able to suggest homes that don't meet your stated requirements, but do meet your needs. Shop with a pad of paper - make notes. Share your feelings with your realtor - not just yes or no, but what things you liked and did not like about each house. This will help your agent help you to find the right house. The Right Frame of Mind
With the right mindset, buying a home will be easier and less stressful. Below are some tips to help you. 1. Help Yourself
Learn as much as you can about the entire process through books, friends and the Internet. Investigate neighborhoods by driving around and learn price ranges, check commute times to your place of work. Most importantly be sure you feel comfortable about the neighborhood. You’ll need to drive around to open houses and see property. If you wait around for your agent to drive you around on Saturday or Sunday for a couple of hours you aren’t helping your agent or yourself. The more you know about the area and the price of homes in the area the easier it will be for you to determine the value of homes you view and eventually put in an offer on. 2. Be emotionally detached
If you can keep a check on your emotions you'll think more rationally and be able to make better decisions. When you find a house that seems to fit acknowledge that the house may fit your needs and price range and leave it at that. Remember, there are many behind-the-scenes things that may be taking place--other buyers competing for the home, unforeseen issues with the physical condition of the property or other issues that may make it a poor choice. Bottom-line, acknowledge the house may be a fit, but don't get carried away with emotion. Remember there are many hurdles you need to overcome. Let your agent deal with the seller's agent to find out about all of the behind-the-scenes issues and then move quickly to submit a good clean offer. Once you are safely under contract and past the physical inspection, you can relax a bit and start thinking about the future. 3. Patience and understanding
Sellers may make unreasonable demands or get upset over certain issues. This is part of the process. The sellers may not want to sell their home but they may be in a situation where they must. They may be selling due to a job transfer, a divorce, money problems, old age, or illness. Selling under these conditions might get anyone upset. Have patience, be calm and try to see the sellers point of view. Your agent should be able to work any problem with the seller's agent. If the purchase contract was written properly you should be protected from the majority of issues that may come up. 4. Problems prior to closing
It’s not uncommon for there to be problems before the closing. The problem could come up from the lender, title agent, or someone else involved with the transaction. Don’t panic, almost all problems can be resolved. If your agent is experienced he or she has probably handled similar problems in the past. Remember, stay calm, call your agent and let them take care of the problem or steer you in the right direction. Making a Time Commitment to Your Home Search
Be ready to make a big time commitment. You are making one of the biggest decisions of your life, both emotionally and financially. You will spend endless hours driving around neighborhoods, looking at homes, view open houses and weighing the pros and cons of each neighborhood and each home. Add in the time getting approved for a loan and you get the idea. Finding the right home probably won’t happen by just setting aside a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. This is serious business, the decisions you make will have long lasting implications, so be prepared to devote the proper time. Viewing Homes For Sale
First I will print out the home listings from the MLS that meet your price range and requirements. I will drop off, fax or e-mail these listings for you to review. Look over the listings and call me back with the houses that appeal to you. I will contact the listing agents and eliminate any homes that are sold or under contract (pending). The market can move quickly and the best homes that are priced right will sell quickly. Also, many agents do not update their listings on the MLS in a timely manner. I will call you back with the homes that are still available and you may take a drive around to look at the homes and neighborhoods from the outside. Call me with the homes you liked from the outside and I will make appointments to view these homes. Considerations When Viewing a Home
If you walk into a home and immediately don't like it, let's not waste time. Let me know that it's not quite right for you and lets move on to the next house. If the listing agent talks to much, just say to them, Do you mind if I take a look around on my own and then I’ll ask you if I have any questions. If you like a home try not to show it. We don't want the listing agent or seller to know. Don't feel you must explore every inch of a home. It can be very difficult to set up appointments the same day, unless the home is vacant. It is best to schedule 24 hours in advance. It may be difficult to arrange a showing early in the morning or late at night, on holidays, or on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Some people are slobs and the house will be a war zone. Look beyond the clutter and imagine the place cleaned and painted. Many good deals have been passed over by buyers who didn't use their imagination. Your agent can usually point out the repairs or modifications that could be done to make the house fit your needs. Timing: Selling Your Present Home
If you have a home to sell, you’ll want to put it on the market, as soon as possible if not sooner. The ideal situation is to have the closings as close together as possible or in some case a week or two apart, giving you enough time to move and clean-up your old home and paint and/or clean up the new one. This may be possible if your home goes on the market priced correctly. Once the closing date for your existing house is set, you can then go about selecting your new home without worrying about timing. You don't have to sell your home first, but there are many downsides. Prospective sellers may not consider any offer you make if the contract is contingent upon your selling your home first. Some sellers my accept your offer but keep their home on the market seeking a better offer and giving you the first right of refusal. Now you have to hope and pray your home sells before another buyer comes along to buy your dream home. Just the stress of worrying if someone else will buy your dream home is enough but imagine that someone else does buy it. You are better off first selling your house. If the buyers of your house want to move in quickly and the sellers of your new home can't move fast enough then the solution is a short-term rental of an apartment. Getting the home of your dreams may be worth a short-term inconvenience. Other Sources of Property for Sale
In addition to the homes I send you from the MLS, I always recommend that my clients scan other sources of homes for sale. The reason is that many times my clients will see something that catches their eye that is in a completely different area than they were considering. This scenario also helps illustrate an important lesson I learned about finding your home. It can sometimes be very difficult to articulate what you are looking for. However, when you find it, you'll know. What I believe is that most buyers are looking for a particular feeling they get from a house. Some want a feeling of security they get from a home with tall fences and gates. Some want a feeling of nature from a home with lush green landscaping. Some want that family warmth and coziness from a home with a large kitchen that overlooks the family room so they can cook while still talking to friends and family. Remember: All real estate agents have access to the MLS and can show you any home you see advertised by another real estate agent. Calling the listing agent may not be the best of ideas because they represent the seller not you. The Internet
The Internet is an excellent way to view listings and get a feel for the market. You can search for available listings anywhere in the country 24 hours a day through my website. However, be aware some of the listings may be out of date or inaccurate. Consult your agent to get up to date information and more detailed information about a property or neighborhood. Harmon Homes, Homes & Land and The Home Review Magazine
These are free weekly periodicals that can be picked up at newsstands and convenience stores. These convenient magazines have many photo ads of properties listed by agents. This is another great tool to use in your property search. The Local Newspaper Real Estate and Open House Section
I always recommend that my buyers grab the local newspapers to check the open house section. This way you can see what will be open on the weekend and go see the homes that interest you. Open Houses
Open houses are a great way to learn the market and see what's for sale. Your agent will also be able to tell you what's open that weekend. If you are interested in a particular area, drive that area on Sunday and you'll be sure to find some open houses. Tuesday Broker's Caravan
Usually every Tuesday between 11am and 2pm agents/brokers will hold an open house to get a property exposed to other agents. This enables other agents to preview the new listing inventory for their buyers. However, anyone is welcome to stop by. I frequently send or accompany my clients to Tuesday caravan so they can get a jump on the competition. Usually, food and/or refreshments are offered to entice agents to stop by. For Sale By Owners (FSBO)
The FSBO can be another great source of properties for sale. Sometimes sellers want to try to save real estate commissions by selling their home themselves so they run newspaper ads in the real estate classifieds and put up lawn signs. If the seller is truly motivated this can be an excellent way to find a property. If you do find a FSBO that looks interesting, have your agent call the seller and make an appointment to view the home. Most sellers will cooperate with an agent if that agent has a bona fide buyer. In fact, many times they're grateful there is an agent involved because they quickly realize that it's not easy to coordinate all of the paperwork and forms needed in a real estate transaction. The seller usually ends up paying a 2.5 or 3% commission so everyone's happy. It is a good idea to have someone represent your interests and help negotiate the best possible deal. What to Do if You Discover a Home You Like on Your Own
If you see a sign when driving around, walk in to an open house, read a newspaper ad, or see a property on the Web that interests you, call me right away. I will pull all the info about the property & fax or e-mail it to you immediately! I will immediately call the listing agent and find out the details about any property and get you the inside scoop! Agents don’t have exclusives. All agents have access to all MLS listings. Open House Etiquette
The main goal of an agent at an open house is to meet potential clients and induce them to work together. They can be a little pushy at times and start asking you all types of personal questions. If you walk in to an open house, please let the agent know immediately that you are already represented and hand them your agent's card. This will cause most agents to back off and go back to whatever they were doing. Can’t Find the Perfect Home
If you know exactly what you want and it isn't on the market we can help. Whether it be a specific home or group of homes or a particular neighborhood we will find you a home. We will contact the owners and let them know we have a client that is interested in purchasing their home. After viewing the home or homes, if you are interested, we can start negotiations and put in an offer on your behalf. Be advised there is not much room for negotiation when you approach someone to buyer their home. | 
