Home Buying Tips

Have a good idea of what you are looking for in a home and what is important to you. Have a list of things such as the number of bedrooms, and bathrooms you will need, the neighborhoods you like, if you want a garage, and if you are looking to live in a single family home, a town house or a condo.

Keep in mind the difference between something that is easy to change about a house such as the pant color or the flooring and something that is far more serious such as cracked walls.

It is possible to fall in love with the first house you go and see. This normally means that your real-estate agent was paying attention at the first meeting and listened to what you wanted and needed in a house. Depending on the market in the area it may be best to go ahead and put an offer on the house.

Have an open line of communication with your real estate agent. This is going to be the best way to insure that you will get what you want and need.

When you go looking at homes bring a digital camera (not just your camera phone) with you. Photograph the exterior of the home – the front and back, the rooms and anything that catches your eye. This will help you to compare it to other houses you are looking at.

While looking at the homes take notes. Some things to make notes about include the location, how close the neighbors are, if the neighbors have dogs or kids, what is in the neighborhood, how close to the highway is it. When you leave the house give it a rating of 1-10. This will help in making your final decision.

If you are torn between two houses then you should go back and look at the houses again. Take a close family member or friend with you the second time to get a fresh set of objective eyes looking at them. Their thoughts might be the deciding factor.

Find out what you can reasonably afford before you go looking at houses. You don’t want to get upset because the house that you have fallen in love with it way outside your price range.

Once you have picked out the house and your offer has been accepted by the seller, have an inspection of the house done before closing. Even if the seller has their own inspector come, hire one yourself as well. It never hurts to have another person look it over. Also when the inspector is at the house, go with them so they can point things out to you.

Don’t be afraid to negotiate the price of the house and what is included in that price. You are able to negotiate the asking price as well as whether things such as closing costs and repairs will be included or not.

Ask lots and lots of questions – of both yourself and of your agent. Ask things like:
“Is this home a short or long commute to my work?”
“What are the schools like?”
“What are other houses in the area selling for?”
“Are there any other bids on the house at this point in time?”
“How long has the house been on the market?”

As you buy a house, remember that aside from furniture, virtually everything that is in the house comes with the house unless specifically excluded by the owner. Make sure the home seller realizes this before they tell you they're planning on taking the dining room chandelier with them when they move!