Excited? It’s that time…time to buy a new home!! I will be doing a series of blogs on what you, the buyer,can expect during the home buying process. Hopefully these blogs will be a helpful and insightful tool for you to use during your home buying process.
So, about a year from now, you can plan on moving into your new home. “What, a year from now?”, you say. Yup, that’s right, many buyers actually begin thinking about and preparing to purchase a home as much as a year or more in advance. You may be further along than that right now but many people start the home buying process well in advance of actually doing so. As a matter of fact many people would not even know they have actually started the process already…but looking back they will see when the thoughts of purchasing a home actually began to arise. Get ready, because as you know…time flys.
There are several key items that will need to be taken care of during the home buying process one of which is finding yourself a good Realtor. You might ask, “why worry about a Realtor this early in the game.” Well, there are a several reasons and it is never too early to start
First, a Realtor can set you up on an MLS home search so you can begin to look at homes online from your local LIVE MLS This will enable you to get an idea of what features you may want in your new home and it will give you a good idea of prices in your area. “Why not just look online at the various sites available?”, you ask. Well, you can, except that those services are often days, weeks or months behind the LIVE local MLS. An active search on the MLS will let you see what is available now! You may still be a year out, but this will allow you to start looking at homes, while saving gas money at the same time:). Other services online often leave listings on months after they have actually closed. Your local MLS is the most accurate up to date housing information that you can find online. A Realtor can easily set you up on a home search and give you access to this information. My website: www.TheKilberGroup.com has just such a feature.
Second a Realtor will know, after speaking with you, what you are looking for and has contacts with other Realtors. They can spread the word among their Realtor friends and may be able to find you a great deal, or just the right home. Let them do their job and help, they can turn into a very valuable asset for you to have. Start utilizing them early on. As always, remember in Arizona having a buyer’s agent, in most cases will cost you, as the buyer, absolutely nothing. The right Realtor can save you plenty of headaches in the long run.
Third, best get to know this person now. They will, after all, be helping you make what will probably be one of your most expensive purchases ever. Do you really want to leave that to “whomever” at the last minute? This will enable you to get to know and trust that this person can and actually has your best interests in mind. Can they get you the best deal through use of superior negotiation skills or are they just looking for a quick commission? Spend some time with a Realtor and you will find out.
Fourth, you will most likely have lots of questions. Again, utilize your Realtor as a resource. They are available to help and answer any questions you may have. They should be able to help you avoid potential problems before they arise. It is always nice to have someone on your side in order to walk you through the process, who has been there many times before.
Fifth, as the process goes along your Realtor will be able to guide you and point out potential “Red flags.” This is why I suggest finding a Realtor early on. You are going to want to know that you can trust their advice. If you have only been talking with them a few days/weeks you are probably going to be more hesitant to listen to them than if you have been talking with them for several months. Again, take time to build up your trust in your agent.
So, first of all when you decide that it is time to buy your first or next home…find yourself a Realtor who can help guide you through the process.
Thinking about purchasing a home and want to know what to do next? Give me (Shayne) a call (623-853-6644) and we can sit down and answer any questions that you may have. It’s never too early to start.
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