Buying Your Stuart, Florida Home Long Distance

Buying Your Stuart, Florida Home Long Distance

Trying to buy a home in Stuart, Florida from another city is a challenging task, but thanks to today's technology, it's never been easier to buy a home from a distant locale. Some out of town buyers may already be familiar with Stuart, Florida real estate, but even if you don't know our area, the Internet is a powerful tool when it comes to long-distance buying.

Plan, Research, Investigate

The first thing you need to do is to plan, research, and investigate. Using the Internet, you can visit our local chambers of commerce, research property values and demographics, read online newspapers (The Stuart News and Palm Beach Post), check out Martin County schools and view detailed maps. These sites will also help you identify oppotunities for nightlife, concerts, theater, athletic activities or anything else you may desire in our community and the surrounding area.

Searching For Homes Online

As an out of town buyer, the real estate Web enables you to research properties much the same way a REALTOR® does. Start your home search by choosing a popular online search engine such as Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, The Home Buyers Scouting Report or our own Martin County MLS. Many buyers work with several search engines to "triangulate" on an area. As you discover homes of interest, a local agent can provide additional information, preview the properties and even take additional photos to help narrow down your selection. Be sure to select a REALTOR® who will help with your online search and be your eyes on the ground.

Finding a REALTOR®

You may want to ask your own REALTOR® for a recommendation or have him or her research agents in an affiliated office here in the Stuart area. You can also perform a Google search of Stuart Realtors. In any case, you will want to work with a Web savvy REALTOR® who will compliment your own search efforts and is capable of handling online transactions (since you are a long distance away, communication will primarily be through phone, fax, and Email). Your agent should be expert in the area he serves and have a "support team" of lenders, home inspectors, insurance agents, and other home service professionals at his disposal.

Interviewing Agents

Identifying a specific agent and how that agent views his or her role in the relocation process is an essential component of a successful long distance buying experience. You will be spending a lot of time with this person. It is important to find someone whose style and personality you are comfortable with. Check for designations such as CRS (Certified Residential Specialist). When interviewing agents, explain what you're looking for as far as price range, types of houses you want and amenities you'd like. You'll want to talk about the cost of living, taxes, utilities, etc. If you have kids, ask about the schools. If you have special needs, hobbies, pets or even large animals, like horses, you need to know the zoning and rules that apply to them.

Visiting Homes

Being out of town, you will need to take some time off to look at houses. If you can, schedule all your house viewings for one or two days then take a day off to evaluate the homes. Take lots of pictures to go over later. This will refresh your memory of homes you've seen and reveal features or problems you may have missed. Also, take notes while walking through each house of its pros and cons. Once you have narrowed your selections down to two or three, it's time to schedule second showings.

Making an Offer

Now you have your mind set on a house, with a possible back-up in case the first choice doesn't work out. You've also been preapproved for a mortgage, which shows the seller you are a strong buyer. If the house you like is a little too high for your budget, you can always negotiate (one of my recent buyers had the sellers come down from an original $254,000 to $205,000). At this point the negotiation may not be concluded until you return home; remember that you are a long distance away again and all information has to make its way from you, to your REALTOR®, to the seller's REALTOR® and to the sellers by way of phone, fax, Email or FedEx.

The Home Inspection

As soon as the purchase agreement is accepted by all parties (a bilateral contract), a house inspection needs to be done. Your REALTOR® should offer several names of qualified home inspectors. Call the inspectors and see who can get it done and processed the fastest (most will have their report Emailed to you that evening). If you are unable to attend, your agent should make himself available to supervise the inspection.

Details And More Details

During the inspection period, get your mortgage company decided on. Amongst other things, they will order a property appraisal. Your agent will get the date of the appraisal and when the report can be expected (in today's market that can take as long as two weeks). Having previously set a closing date when your offer was accepted, now is the time to make sure all paperwork and documentation requests are completed quickly in order to close on time. Murphy's law comes into play at this point so it is important that your agent continues to drive the process to closing (the most common bottlenecks that occur are inspection, appraisal and loan issues). Again, your REALTOR® will be following up with everyone on a daily basis to make the process as stress-free for you as possible.

As a long-distance home buyer, utilizing online home search tools and with the help of a local REALTOR®, should ensure you are able to get your new house taken care of from start to finish in about 30 to 90 days.