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Find
the Perfect House
Finding the perfect house for you and your family can be a great
deal of fun when you’re armed with realistic expectations,
patience, and plenty of research in hand. With just a little preparation,
you'll be well on your way.
The first few steps include narrowing your choices down to the neighborhoods
you like and determining the maximum home price you can afford.
You may be pre-approved for a loan, but you still need to consider
other possible expenses, including retirement and college savings,
vacations, and home maintenance and repairs, when you calculate
how much you can afford for a monthly payment. And let’s not
forget homeowners insurance and property taxes.
Now that you’ve narrowed down your choices, you have to decide
between your needs versus your wants. You need three bedrooms, but
a fourth room would be nice for a play room or guest room. You need
a two-car garage, but a larger one would be nice for storage. You
need a functional kitchen but want hardwood floor. You need two
bathrooms but want a luxurious master suite.
Before you get started driving all over looking at potential homes,
start a checklist. Make a chart with a column for exterior and a
column for interior features. Give each feature a rank between 1
to 10.
Here are some examples:
• size of yard
• quality of fence
• paint condition
• roof condition
• window conditions
• garage
• back yard
• square footage
• floor plan
• condition of walls
• various room size
• closet and storage space.
Make sure you also add any other general features that may be important
to your situation such as traffic, schools, distance for your commute,
etc.
Some additional suggestions:
• Take a notebook and camera with you, create a page for each
home you view including notes and a photo.
• Don't make a hasty decision, especially if you feel yourself
becoming guided by emotion. Selecting a home takes time, thought,
and analysis. You should carefully weigh the pros and cons of each
house you like.
• Review your checklist and notes and compare it against your
needs, wants, and budget.
• Bring your spouse, friend or family member with you to get
a second opinion. They may notice a shortcoming that you've overlooked.
• Find out how much utilities, taxes and maintenance cost.
• Stay on top of newly listed houses via a Multiple Listing
Service on the Internet.
• Remain in close contact with your agent. This is extremely
important if you're in a strong seller's market in which homes that
are priced right go fast. You want a good agent who will alert you
of new listings and who will show you the houses as soon as they're
listed.
• Be prepared to look at the potential of a house rather than
what you see in front of you. Set your priorities and decide what
can be sacrificed. It's more important that the layout of the house
and the number of bedrooms you need fit your needs and that all
major systems are functional versus your dislike for the avocado
green carpet or the lack of landscaping. Those types of cosmetic
shortcomings can be easily remedied once you buy the house.
If you find a house you like, offer a competitive bid. Keep in mind
you'll likely be competing against other offers—especially
if interest rates stay low and the spring buying season is in full
bloom.
And don't forget—once you make an offer, make it contingent
upon the findings of a professional home inspection. If any major
defects surface, you'll want to have the leverage to renegotiate or
back out of the deal completely.
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