Step 4. Look at Houses (the fun part)
Now you get to enjoy yourself a little. Time to start looking at houses.
You’ll have already told your agent what's important to you i.e. schools, commute to work, do you want a brand new house or are you ok with a fixer upper. Do you need master bedroom down, a big yard, what square footage do you want, do you not like a certain style of architecture. The more information you can give up front, the more suitable houses your agent can line up for you.
So if this is your first day out looking at houses, you're unlikely to find your dream home on day one. Today is more about narrowing down your search to finding an area or neighborhood that you like. Yes, you will go into houses but take time to get a feel for the neighborhood, do you like it or not ? If you don't, then let the agent know and you can rule it out. Maybe you like the neighborhood but not the house, great, there's lot of floor plans in each neighborhood, find the one you like. Maybe you like the house but not the neighborhood, well it's likely that same builder has other neighborhoods.
Be vocal, let your realtor know exactly what you like and don't like. If your agent is a specialist in the area (remember one of my rules for picking a realtor), then he/she will know the market well enough to recommend other subdivisions you'll like.
BTW, if your realtor is pushy and trying to sell you the house rather than show you the house, then time to change realtor. The realtor's job is to open doors & answer your questions, not to sell you a house you don't like. Only you will know if you like the house and from my experience, you'll know that within the first few minutes in the house.
Some Tips
Fuel up, it's more tiring than you think looking at houses. Bring water, snacks to keep energy level up
Don't look at more than 5 houses at a time, they'll all blend into one and you'll lose track of them.
Bring pen and paper to make notes, use camera on your phone too.
Look for signs of how well maintained a house is...the yard is a great indicator. A well maintained yard usually means a well maintained house.
Don't let a house that needs some cosmetic tlc put you off. It's a great way to buy a good deal on house.. Countertops, appliances, paint, carpet etc are all very easy and not too expensive to replace. A good agent will have all the contacts to make the renovations easy.
Think of selling the house. This may seem strange when you are buying it, but you'll likely sell it too and you want a house that will be easy to sell. Is it noisy, is the lot private.
Do you have kids ? Drive through the neighborhood at the weekend, see if there are many future friends for your children.
How's the traffic ? Drive there at rush hour.
Ask your real estate agent if there is anything planned that could impact your home i.e. new roads etc. Parts of West Ashley/Johns Island could be impacted when I-526 is extended for example.
Continue to Step 5 : Make An Offer
Got questions ? Contact me darragh@empirecharleston.com or 843 452 2325