11/03/2020
Now that youāve got your wants vs. needs list in hand, the fun really begins! Itās time to talk about narrowing down those listings and deciding which ones to see in person.ā£
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First up, letās talk about best practices for searching online. No doubt you know the sites (Realtor.com, Zillow, Redfin, Trulia), but how can you get the results you want?ā£
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A few tips: ā£
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ā¢ Use the search filters but not too much. You donāt want to restrict your search so tightly that you only have a handful of homes to view. Keeping your wants vs. needs list in mind, expand your geographic search, and add 25-50K to your max price since homes often sell under asking.ā£
ā¢ If you find something that catches your eye, check out the Google street view. Online pictures can be deceiving so a virtual āwalk down the streetā will give you a better sense of the house and surrounding area.ā£
ā¢ Donāt shy away from a home because it is āpendingā or āunder contract.ā Pending contracts do fall through, so keep it on your list especially if it checks all your boxes.ā£
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After youāve found a few homes you like, jot down the MLS number and address. Shoot the list to your agent and let him or her call the listing agents to gather pertinent info and gauge the sellerās motivation.ā£
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At this point, itās time to look at the calendar and find a chunk of time to tour the homes on your shortlist. Carve out more time than you think youāll need since you donāt want to be rushed if you find a home that may be āthe one.āā£
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Have you been searching online for your next home? Find something you keep going back to? Send me a message and let's go have a look!ā£
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If youāve been working through the 90 Day to Homeowner Challenge, way to go! Youāre SO close to knowing all there is to know about the home buying process. ā£
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And who knows? 2021 may be the year your homeownership dreams become your long-awaited reality.ā£
