Step #3 — House Hunting
The easy step-by-step tutorial designed to make home-buyers knowledgeable and confident.
Shopping for a house is often exciting, but it takes a lot of personal deep diving and consistent energy to find the right home for your future. Sometimes the cutest house is not the practical fit or your family’s future plans. This adventure is more than shopping — it’s a pivot in your personal strategy that can create that dream life you are searching for.
Typically, real estate agents are scouting for properties every day for their clients. Even if they do not have a current client, agents know their market by researching the pulse of the territory and product (homes). Many real estate agents go out every ‘caravan’ to see what’s new to the market and evaluate how the market is adjusting to all the different factors affecting property prices. When you link up with a buyer’s agent, you are partnering up with a master of their craft. Now all you have to do is utilize this new partnership to help you find that house you want to call home.
You may have some idea in mind of what you want, but either way it’s good preparation to make a WISH LIST and a MUST HAVE LIST. The wish list is features you think would really be special but you could live without. Must have list are features you need in order to function contently in your family’s day-to-day lifestyle (or potential future lifestyle!). If you have multiple people living in this space with you, it’s important to make these lists with their input so everyone’s needs are considered. These lists are a great place to start working with your agent. Once your agent knows your wants and needs, he or she can start curating the hunt for you. The better the curation of these properties, the more efficient your process will be. You would rather not fall in love with a home that is not in-line with your future goals.
Often, buyers do not have a good idea what property and features would actually aline with their future goals. That’s were a great agent with the right process can really add value to your hunt. An agent who can help you navigate your creative process to understand what your really NEED for your goal lifestyle will help you take steps in the right direction in curating a practical collection of potential homes.
Once you have a reasonable collection of properties on your list, it’s time to get out there and check them out in person. The shopping experience really starts with the first impression — which is often through photos online. But a property cannot be fully conveyed without feeling the space in person, and sometimes more than once! When you see the property IRL you will have a much better evaluation of the property and it’s ranking on your list. Many homes seem perfect on paper, but do not perform in person. There have been multiple diamonds in the rough amongst in their attractive counterparts in the digital world.
If you feel you have found a perfect fit, or even if you are still on the fence, it’s a good idea to visit a potential contender more than once. Seeing a home in the daylight versus the nighttime can be shocking. It also makes a big difference visiting on a weekend versus a weekday. If you find a property you are considering, ask your agent to book a private showing at a different time and date.
If you cannot find that perfect home, there are more strategies to discuss with your agent in taking the hunt to the next level. When you want a unit in one particular building, or on one particular street; send letters to every single one of those properties with your agent’s help. Or go speak directly to the owners and see if anyone is interested in selling. Sometimes, homes that have expired on the market can mean a great opportunity. Being on the market is only one way to sell a property, many properties are sold off market (aka pocket listings) to keep the public out and the transaction private.
Keep an eye out next week for Step #4, Making an Offer, and as an added bonus my step-by-step tutorial is an interactive learning process. To ensure you get the most out of my free guide through the home buying process, I’m making myself available to answer any questions you may have. Don’t be shy! This tutorial is about empowering YOU, the buyer, as you set out on your mission to purchase a property.
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Looking forward to seeing you again next week!
-Lauren “Glasses” Biedenharn
