In my first blog Oakland County first time home buyers part 1- pre-approval letters I went over how to get your finances in order and why you need a pre-approval letter. Now that you have a pre-approval letter what do you do with it?
The next three things you need to do are:
- select an agent
- write down what you want in a house
- start searching on line
So sit down and write down what you want in a house. Ie How many bedrooms, how many bathrooms, what city, what price range, what ammenities. Write down your must haves and wishes for your future Oakland County home.
One of the things you need to do as an Oakland County first time home buyers is select a real estate agent. You can do this anyway you feel comfortable. You can ask your friends, family, or co-workers for a referral of who they worked with. You can search the internet and read blogs and see who you identify with. Or you can call or stop in a local real estate agent. Some of the characteristics or qualities you want in your agent are:
- Knowledgeable about the area you are buying in
- Available when you need to look.... if you are only available to look on weekends then you need to find an agent that works on Saturday and Sunday. Some agents don't
- Has good communication.... they answer the phone.... or get back to you within a few hours....the agent has email capablity on the road
- Responds to what you ask for.... answers your questions or points to a source to find the answer
As a Oakland County first time home buyer start doing some online searchs in the area and price range you want. Get an Oakland County Realtor to send you email listings. By seeing in black and white what is for sale in your price range will give you an idea of whether your wants are realistic. Look at some Oakland County real estate updates to get an idea of what is selling
Russ Ravary Your Novi and Northville real estate agent serving all of Oakland County and Wayne County
Search Oakland County real estate and Metro Detroit real estate and get the latest Oakland County listings emailed to you
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Wouldn't it be nice if all the buyers wanted to look at only properties that were in tehir price ranges? Unfortunately, too many have no idea what their price range is, sometimes even after they have a pre-approval letter.