Every buyer has a different idea of Ideal Home.
Every Buyer I meet has a price point in mind and a general area they would like to live. They even have a vision for the home they would love to find and yet some cannot really describe it buys they say "I will know it when I see it."
As a Buyer Agent, I can tell you buyers have it great today compared to years ago. By the time you align yourself with a Buyer Specialist you typically have viewed hundreds if not thousands of homes online.
Experience has taught me if I learn about where you the buyer lives now and ask you three questions it really can help me to help you.
1. What will you miss about where you live now?
2. What will you NOT miss?
3. What would you like to have in your new home that you do not have now?
These three simple questions are answered differently by each person I meet. These answers plus your desired price point can really help me your buyer agent to find what you are looking for. The other piece of the puzzle is to make sure you have a detailed conversation with a Local lender to determine your buying power. You want to know your max buying power and your comfort zone as far as payment before you start the house hunt. Anything less is like going grocery shopping without your wallet.
My Buyers are always amazed when we find their dream home on Day 1 or 2 of house hunting. I always tell them you have looked at so many homes online once you get in a few and as long as they show well you do not need to see many.
Technology helps us to see what the homes back too, where they sit on the street and gives us all the data to know if they are overpriced or priced to sell. The reason you need a buyer agent is to get you inside the homes and to compare these to other homes on the market. A Good Buyer agent will do their homework well before the appointment. When it is time for showings they will have all the comparables for each house you looked ready at their fingertips. As a Buyer agent, I want to have all the information about the home and community so that I can address your questions and concerns right away.
The question as we look at properties is this ..Have you seen a home that you like better than this one? If No great, if yes this one goes to the bottom of the pile and the house that is better, is the one beat. This prevents second guessing which in a busy market can be buyers downfall to success?
This week I am working with a couple in their 70's who are looking for main level living but on a Grand Scale we have found their home they just have not seen enough to know it. They do not use the Internet as much as most. But I can see it and know it will only be a matter of time before they purchase. They have realized they must push their budget a little to achieve their goal. That was a little tough to swallow, but they are realizing they have discriminating taste and do not want to compromise. The good news is they do not need to they just need to give themselves permission to go there. When you are spending as much money as they will spend I want them to be sure before they sign. It is not the best weather to show homes, but the ones looking at homes in winter will get the best value and less competition.
The couple I worked this weekend we found their home on Day 1. We only looked at the Top 5 on their list. They knew they found their home the minute they walked into the third home that it was the one. They had a search criteria and we hit every item and even better it was $70,000 less than they were thinking they needed to spend. They had spent weekends out looking on their own going to Open Houses and New Home Communities.
Their exact words were "We had no idea these homes were here or that we could even afford this neighborhood!" That is what a Great Buyer Agent does for you, we help you take a look at the whole picture and show you all of your options not just where you think you need to be.
The next buyers I worked were first-time buyers buying a home up to $700,000 in a close-in the neighborhood. They send me 27 homes to set up appointments to see. I knew that they were burning the midnight oil searching website after the website. Once we met and I asked them the above questions it became clear to both of us where their target area needed to be. The closer I could get them to 495/395 interchange in Fairfax County the better. The budget quickly determines your options.
They surprised me by finding their home on Day 2. It was a 56-year-old home in a lovely neighborhood and I thought so many of my buyers would not even consider this home. It did not have stainless steel or jazzy engineered hardwood throughout. Instead, this home had character, old hardwood floors and back to a lovely bubbling brook and best of all smack in the middle of their targeted area for commuting.
Ideal Homes are in the eye of the buyer and everyone is different. As a Buyer Agent, I help people find and negotiate the best possible price for the home they want in the area they have decided fits their needs. I help you the buyer makes an informed decision and then work with you through the loan process, Home Inspection Negotiations, Appraisal process and keep you moving to the finish line
If you are thinking of buying this year I would be honored to help you I work from Alexandria Virginia to Fredericksburg and as far west as Haymarket, Virginia
Give me a call at 703-801-9367 and Let's Talk about the type of home you are looking for.
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