One day, you're driving down the street and the house you've always loved has a "For Sale" sign in the ground. 

Or, one day, you go into the office and the big boss says she has a job opportunity for you, but, unfortunately,  it's not with this company any longer.  Or, much better, it is with this company and it's a great promotion, but you'll  have to move if you want to take the job. 

Or, one day, you wake up and you're pregnant.  It's a wonderful day and you and your hubby skip around the house and you jostle the kids against the ceiling, you hoop so loud you wake the neighbors; you call the family, the extended family, and you go have some brewskies with the old college croonies (but you drink water because you don't want to get the baby too bubbly), all not necessarily in that order.  Later you realize, once you've come back to your senses -- "whoops!  we have no place to keep the baby!!!   Liam and Ashley have a bedroom, we have a bedroom, but where are we going to put little Trent or Sophie"?

You get the picture.  We move for many reasons -- but it boils down to two reasons -- because we want to or because we have to. 

Fortunately, today we can begin that process on the Internet.  About 70% of us do, at last count.  That's changed a lot in 10 years.  If fact, just 10 years ago, that number would have been under 10%.   

The Internet is so pervasive and informative that the average home buyer spends only 2.2 weeks searching with a Realtor, once they decide they are going to move, vs. 7.7 weeks for those who don't start on the Internet.  Today's home buyers are simply much more informed.  It doesn't take as long when you know what you want.

And then one day, perhaps at an Open House or from a sign call, or you finally call that person with Internet website ( e.g. http://YourIowaHome.com, hint, hint) you run across a Realtor with whom you click (not with the mouse -- with your mind) and the whole process becomes a calming endeavor.  You feel like your in good hands, that your side of the transaction will be represented expertly, that this agent will listen to your wants, needs, and even your dreams.  He'll not only put up with your screaming kids, but he appears to like children, as well.  Most importantly, he will take time to understand your anxieties about the process, your specific wants, goals, and needs.  

That person could be me, if we click and if not, then do yourself a favor and find a good Realtor!  They are often found through friends, relatives, or work associates, or through a professional networking group. 

That's the kind of experience I provide for my owner-occupant home hunters.  We move along methodically toward the goal yet I take plenty of time to listen druing the process.  Afterall, the average home owner stays a minimum of 5-7 years in the same home (I've been in mine for 18 years!).  Buying a residence is not a trivial decision.  You want to get it right because you could be there for a while!  

You'll be fulfilling a dream, or taking a major step along the path toward your ultimate dream home.  There is nothing that impacts your lifestyle so much as where you choose to live.  You want to do this right. 

When it's time to buy or sell, call Andrew L. !