The Search: "Show Me the Way to go Home"

Remember "Quint",  the salty sea Captain in the movie "Jaws" singing, "Show me the way to go home, I'm tired and and I want to go to bed!"  Is that the way you feel after a day of riding around in your car looking for homes that are for sale?  Are you one of the home searchers that get in your car without any information along for the ride and go for a "sign hunt".  Let me tell you friends....  YOU'RE DOIN IT THE HARD WAY!

Today's multiple listing services enable professional real estate agents to create a custom search of all the homes available in your city....   so that the search returns ONLY those homes that fit the parameters of your particular search.  Everybody knows you can search by price, city, county, subdivision, etc.   But did you know a Realtor can search for only homes in specific school areas, subdivision amenities and kind of cooktop?  Want a 4-side brick home for $250,000 to $275,000 in XYZ county with a finished sunlight basement and a side entry garage on a cul-de-sac (with sidewalks, a community pool, tennis courts and street lights) in XYZ elementary school district on a level 1/3 acre lot with gas heat, ceiling fans, hardwood floors and a dining room that will seat twelve?  GOT IT!  In todays world of search you can be as broad or as specific as you wish to be.  But remember...   the more you describe your "perfect" house, the fewer homes will be returned for your perusal and ultimately for you to go see.  But then again...  maybe the one that comes back from your search WILL be your perfect home! Just think of the time and frustration you'll save!

And to go even one step further...   a really good Realtor will know how to enter all of your search parameters into a search engine and create a link which they can then email to you so that every home that comes back from that search will be exactly what you are interested in seeing.  Now THAT'S service!

So the next time you think about getting in your car and heading out to drive around and burn up some gas (at nearly $3 a gallon), place a call, instead, to your local real estate professional and have them set up a custom search for you.  You'll be saving gas, time and frustration all at once!

Bob Tettman is a full time Realtor with Keller Williams Realty in the Atlanta area and specializes in homes in Gwinnett County, Georgia including the cities of Buford, Braselton, Duluth, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Suwanee, Lilburn, Snellville, and Grayson. Visit his website at www.HomeTeamGwinnett.com or http://homesgwinnettcountyga.yourkwagent.com/home .