Tips For Buyers
- Meet with a QUALIFIED mortgage broker to set realistic price expectations for yourself. Nothing is worse than finding the house of your dreams only to realize it is not in your budget.
- Make a “Must Have/Would like to Have” list. There are some things that are non-negotiable, and other things that would be the icing on the cake.
- Go to some open houses in the neighborhoods you are interested in living in. These will help you decide if your list from #2 is reasonable in relationship with what you can afford.
- As you search, do your best to see beyond cosmetic issues. It is RARE to find a house with the exact paint or carpet you would have chosen.
- Plan on budgeting for inspections. these will run from a couple hundred to possibly over a thousand dollars. Is is the buyer’s responsibility to be as educated as possible
- Try not to fixate on the list price of a house, but rather the fair market value (an estimate of what a buyer would pay a seller for any piece of property).
- The three most important matters when it comes to negotiation are information, preparation and realism.
- The key to success when buying a home is to trust the experts.