One of the many questions I get asked by homebuyers starting the search for a new home is "How Many Homes Should I View Before Making An Offer?"
I like to sit down with all my buyers to discuss what they are hoping to find, the process and answer any questions they have about the home buying process. None of us likes change, but it is a fact of life that the home buying process is always changing.
The last few years have seen a massive upheaval in the laws and rules approaching buyer agency. This was following the period during COVID when buyers needed to sign paperwork letting sellers know they were free of any symptoms of COVID.
Recently, the change that is most different for buyers is the need to signa buyer agency contract to view a home, other than an Open House. If you are using a buyer agent, you need to sign the Buyer Agency Contract which lays out the terms of your agreement with the agent. This is now law, the same as the first substantive conversation with a buyer should be to explain the Consumer Notice, this explains all the different relationships consumers can have with agents.
Following this, we discuss financing and mortgages, getting pre-approved and pre-qualified and the differences of the two.
So that sit down meeting is important to cover the basics and get all this out of the way so all of us can focus on the homes the buyer wants to see.
So how many homes should a buyer view before making an offer? Well it all depends. Those buyers who have a really good idea of what they are looking for may find it in the very first house they visit. Others may take time working out what they really want. Neither is wrong, I have had clients do both.
I have had clients being transferred for work who come into town two or three times and have to make a decision as they are being transferred. Others may have more time to look around. But it is good to know the market, to look at homes on line, to get to know towns and developments, to see what homes are selling for on a regular basis. Often buyers have a very good idea if a home is well priced or not as they are seeing a large number of homes on line and in person.
My job is to educate, and make sure my clients are confident in making the decisions they need to make throughout the transaction. I remember those clients who walked into the second home on a tour who said this is the one, we don't need to see anything else. They lived there for several years happily and when their family grew we sold it and found them another home that was better suited to that stage of their lives. This time it took longer, but they are still living there happily as well.
So, there is no right answer, it can be one or it can be ten, mostly it is finding the home you feel comfortable in and that meets your needs. With the lower inventory of homes on the market, some buyers feel pressured to make an offer quickly but this may not always give the best result. You definitely should not feel pressured to make an offer, on the other hand you also need to k now when it is time to pull the trigger and make a strong confident offer.
If you need guidance finding a home in Avon Grove School District, Chester County or along the Main Line, contact Nick Vandekar, with Realty ONE Group, office 484-237-2055, cell or text 610-203-4543, email Nick@VandekarTeam.com.
Let me give you the confidence to make the right decisions so you too can embrace with joy and happiness when your offer is accepted.
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