| House hunting can actually be an enjoyable | | | | quided by those things in your search. |
| experience if you take your time and do your | | | | Make a list of things that are important to you. Do |
| homework. Really! In my years as a Realtor, Investor | | | | you want a single story house, or do you prefer two |
| and just a plain old looker before that I discovered | | | | stories? Will 3 bedrooms and 2 baths do, or do you |
| the following ways to make house hunting less | | | | really need 4 bedrooms and 2 & 1/2 baths? |
| stressful and more effective. | | | | Making a list will not only save you time, it will also be |
| Key to it all is first deciding where you'd like to live, | | | | a big help to your Realtor in planning your viewings. |
| then making it your business to learn as much about | | | | Next comes the biggie. Get pre-qualified for a |
| schools, hospitals, grocery stores, shopping, medical | | | | mortgage loan before jumping in the car to tour |
| facilities, recreational amenities and so on. | | | | houses. You need to know how much house can you |
| Once you've done that you're ready to investigate | | | | afford, which most people don't know. |
| about the crime rate. Is it a safe location, or do you | | | | Affordability is based upon income, credit status, |
| need to be considering another location? | | | | interest rates, down payment, closing costs and the |
| And as awkward as it may be to talk about, you | | | | type of loan selected. By getting pre-qualified by a |
| want to assess the quality and character of the | | | | lending institution you will know what you can afford |
| people who live in the area. Obviously, you can't | | | | to spend, which will save you time by establishing the |
| interview them, but you can get a fairly good sense | | | | price range you should be looking in before you begin |
| of their character by the condition of their homes | | | | your house hunting tours. |
| and from the activities you might observe. | | | | Once armed with information about how much house |
| For example, if your prospective neighbor has | | | | you can afford you're ready to begin looking at |
| discarded auto parts, household appliances and other | | | | homes. Make notes after each viewing each |
| stuff in their front yard you might want to reconsider | | | | property, because after 2 - 3 homes they'll start |
| your choice. A poor location when you buy will | | | | running together and you won't be able to remember |
| definitely be a negative factor if and when you | | | | the details of each one as you think you will. |
| decide to resell the home at a later date. | | | | Finally, you need your own Realtor; someone who is |
| But once you've zeroed in on a good location, you're | | | | working for you and is looking out for your interests. |
| ready for the next step of finding your dream home. | | | | When you call the Realtor on a "house for sale" sign |
| can start to think seriously about searching for your | | | | you're speaking to the seller's agent, who represents |
| dream home. But instead of spinning your wheels by | | | | the seller and will be looking after the seller's |
| looking at houses randomly, you should determine | | | | interests. |
| what you really want in a house beforehand and be | | | | |