Spring is here and if you are planning to buy a home, here are my Top 5 Secrets for making the process successful:
1) Know the difference between Pre Approval versus Pre Qualified and get Pre Approved. Don't just spend a few minutes on the phone with a lender and get a letter; but rather spend time with the lender and give him or her the appropriate documents so that you are Pre Approved. The market is shifting again, specifically in the first time buyer market. Houses are seeing multiple offers and price is not the only factor for a seller to choose their buyer. A buyer's financial strength will matter, play competitively.
2) Make your offer with as few contingencies as possible, most certainly do not make it contingent on selling your home. There is a season where that works well; it is winter. During the Spring months there is too much competition to tie your offer to any contingency.
3) Have a list of your "must have" and "wants" ready; without it you may find yourself drawn to those homes where decorating influences you. For example, I had a buyer that had to have a large fenced yard. We walked through a home that was tastefully decorated right out of Pottery Barn with a postage stamp yard. It is hard not to fall in love with the look and feel sometimes and still keep the functionality in check.
4) Don't feel pushed to buy a home. As a Realtor, I will pull the comps, give you website for crime statistics and encourage you to visit the home/neighborhood during different times of the day to be sure it is the right home for you.
5) If it is the home for you; try not to mull it over too much or bring in various family members for their opinions. In this market, when you are sure it is the home for you, you need to put the offer together to ensure you get the home.
There are many factors to consider in buying a home and these are just my Top 5 Secrets or things to consider. I've included some additional reading below. I would encourage you if your are a first time buyer in the Fishers area to attend our first time buyers class held every month on the last Saturday; check our Fishers Real Estate Website for more registration details. If you are a move up buyer, please be sure to visit our website where you can search for your new home by either price or by neighborhood (Fishers, Carmel, Geist or Noblesville) or call me and I'll set up the search specific to your criteria.
As always, be sure to post your questions here and I'll try to answer as many of them as I can.
Related Reading:
Five Things you Need to Know before Buying a Home
Using the Best Real Estate Agent to Find your Home
Cindy "in Indy" Marchant - Fishers Real Estate Agent
Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro NE
Fishers IN Real Estate Website
317-290-7775
Comments(1)