You are ready to buy a home, you have done your homework and contacted a mortgage broker to obtain financing. You know how much you can buy because you have either qualified for a loan that requires little down or have saved up about 20 percent of a purchase price as a down payment.
The first step to matching you with the perfect home usually involves an in-depth interview with the Realtor who will help you find a home in your established price range and determine the features that you need. The Realtor will explain how he or she will work to represent you, what the local market is like and what they can do to help you find the perfect home.
You will be asked a lot of questions. Where do you work? Are schools an important factor? Do you have children or pets? Do you have hobbies that will create special needs? It is important for you to be as clear as possible about your needs; clear communication will save you hours of house hunting. The more information your agent has, the easier it will be to eliminate the homes that will not work for you and show you the ones in your price range that will fit your needs.
You can give your Realtor invaluable input if you prepare a written house hunt checklist with three categories.
In the first category, specify “must-have” features. For example, you won’t settle for anything less than 2,000-square feet, and your family can’t do without three bedrooms, two full bathrooms and a yard for your pet. The second category should be a list of “love-to-have” features like a swimming pool, extra storage space, a large shop (things that would make the house extremely desirable for you). In the third category, specify “won’t live with” features that might include too much traffic noise form the street or a poorly rated school district.
A great Realtor can be a tremendous resource in this process by providing you with information about the homes that are available as well as about shopping facilities, community services, public transportation and neighborhood amenities. There is more to being a great real estate professional than merely marketing. The best agents are also the best listeners and counselors.
Ray Perry is the 2013 Realtor of the Year for Lake County and works for CPS Country Air Properties. He can be reached at 277-8000.
