Choosing the right home for you and your family to live in is a major responsibility. Your home selection can impact everything from your comfort and convenience in daily life to your commute to work, the quality of the kids’ schools and even your budget. Because of the magnitude of your decision, you must walk through the home hunting process strategically.
Think about the Desired Location
If you are moving into a new town or if you are thinking about relocating to the other side of a major metropolitan area, you need to select the desired location to focus on. For example, you may decide that you want to live on the eastern or southeastern side of town. This may be because of the crime rate, the proximity to parks and attractions, the quality of schools or other factors. Remember that the area of town may be very large and comprised of numerous neighborhoods that each should be reviewed.
Explore Different Neighborhoods
Your selection of a specific neighborhood to narrow down your search to is not a matter to take lightly. This is a community that you may plan to spend the next several years or longer in. Make plans to drive through each neighborhood to get to know more about the area. Pay attention to the presence of children playing in front of homes, people walking confidently through a neighborhood park and more. Look at the neighborhood amenities. Focus on the flow of traffic through the neighborhood and which businesses are nearby.
Make a List
Through these steps, you may have eliminated several neighborhoods from consideration, and you may have a few leading contenders that deserve a closer look. To determine which of these neighborhoods may be right for your family to settle down in, you need to look at the actual homes that are listed for sale. To prepare for this process, make a list of all attributes that your home needs to have. Then, create a second list of items that you prefer the home to have. This list can guide you as you select listings to view with your real estate agent.
Hire a Real Estate Agent
After you have done this initial legwork and are serious about finding a new home to move into, carefully select a real estate agent to represent you. Some people simply stumble upon a real estate agents by chance, such as if they called a phone number on a “for sale” sign in someone’s front yard. The real estate agent who you hire is essential in the home hunting process as well as throughout the negotiation process and beyond. Research several reputable agents before deciding which one should represent you.
You can see that ample legwork needs to be completed before you begin to tour homes with your real estate agent. When you take the time to focus on these steps initially, you can more easily navigate through home tours to find the right place to live.
