1. Determine how much property you can afford. You can do this by using our Mortgage Calculator. 2. Where do you want to live? Consider employment, friends, social activities, and your price range. 3. Find a top quality Real Estate Agent. This might be the most important thing you do. 4. Let your Agent know your expectations and time frame. Make a list ... put it in writing. 5. With your Agent, determine how you will search. What times are you available? Do you want a list of properties from your Agent, just to get an idea of the possibilities, or do you want to go with him/her first time out? 6. Be sure you have a basic understanding of the entire buying process: finding property, making an offer, negotiating, having the property inspected, obtaining a loan, the closing process, and possession. 7. If you have a property you will be selling in order to buy new property, be sure you and your Agent understand how this will work together with the buying process. 8. Create a "wants" and "needs" list of the features you want in your new property, and plan to be flexible with this list. 9. Ads you see don't give much information and not all homes are advertised, so after you have chosen an Agent, let your Agent do the searching and you can support their efforts by looking in the paper and calling them with specifics about properties you find advertised. 10. You can have fun looking for property. Each property you see educates you as to what you like or don't like, and what properties are worth are in the new area. Communicate with your Agent about what you want. |
