Shopping for Homes

The Home Shopping Process

As your real estate professional, our most important job is to make the home shopping process as pleasant, stress free and rewarding as possible for you and your family.

We do that in a number of ways.

The first step is to chat with you and your family to gain some insight:

  • What are your motivations to purchase a new home?
  • Why are you moving?
  • How soon do you need to move?
  • What type of home are you looking for?
  • What type of yard do you need?  (do you garden, have pets, small children, etc.)
  • How close do you need to be to work?
  • What is your budget?
  • What size home do you need?
  • What style of home are you looking for? (2-story, rambler, craftsman, modern, city life, farm house, etc.)

Once we’ve talked about your list of wants and needs, we will send you a list of homes with those parameters in the form of a HotSheet.  A HotSheet is a list of homes generated by the MLS and includes all new homes entered by any and all Realtors® and will be emailed to you at the same time each day.  This eliminates your having to search for homes.  If you see any homes you like on the list, we can set up appointments to see them.

Most folks are surprised to find out what they thought they wanted is quite different than what they actually want.  After walking through a few homes, we’ll re-evaluate your list and re-enter your parameters into the computer.  You will then receive an updated list and we’ll begin again.  This time, we’ll have a more clear picture of what you truly want.  We’ll again make appointments to see the homes you’ve chosen from the list.

We will schedule and accompany you on all showings and will provide you with in-depth property details of each home you view.  We will be there to point out desirable features you may not notice and identify potential concerns you may have overlooked.

Our agents work 7 days a week and work when you don’t, so we can be available around your schedule.

We’re by your side every step of the way. When you find a home you want, We’ll prepare and present the offer, and negotiate skillfully on your behalf, so you get that property at the lowest price possible.

As your real estate agent, I’m committed to getting you into the right home, and I’m with you every step of the way.

What to Look for when Viewing a Property

Here are a few questions and ideas to consider when viewing homes to help make the process easier and more productive:

  • Does the home have your “needs” features (those features you must have)? (For example, number of bedrooms, closet space, kitchen size, etc.)
  • Does the home have any of your “wants” features (those features you’d like to have but would be willing to forgo)? (For example, large backyard deck, spacious family room, etc.)
  • What is the general condition of the home? (Are there signs that the owners have kept up with repairs and maintenance?)
  • Will the home need any major repairs, remodeling or renovations? Is there anything, such as the furnace, that may need to be replaced soon?
  • What do you like most about the home?
  • Is there anything about the home you don’t like? Can that be changed with a remodeling or renovation now or in the future?
  • Take a walk around the neighborhood. Are the homes well-kept, indicating pride of ownership?
  • Do you like where the home is situated in the neighborhood?
  • Does the neighborhood have what you want? (For example, access to public transit, shopping, local parks, etc.)

Viewing properties should never be a frustrating ordeal.  It’s our job to help make the process easy and productive for you, so you can find the home you want.

 

 

                                                                                                                        

 


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