Getting Started…

Buying a home, whether it’s your first or your fifth, is a unique process.  Some steps take a long time for some buyers and not as long for others; not everyone goes through the steps the same way or in the same amount of time.  There is however, a fairly logical sequence that usually follows the steps outlined in the attached flow chart.

The single most important step in buying a home is to find an agent you can trust who will represent your best interests throughout the process.  Traditional real estate has always been about selling houses, while an Exclusive Buyer Agency will focus on finding the one right home for you, without trying to sell you the houses they have for sale.  As Albert Einstein said, “problems cannot be solved by thinking within the framework in which the problems were created”.  As a homebuyer, getting out of the framework of traditional real estate and having your own dedicated company works far better than having a company that tries to be all things to all people.

We recognize that your homebuying experience is unique and will do everything in our power to make it a uniquely successful one!

Ready?

1. Start by looking at your current home and location as a frame of reference.   How is the commute to work? School? Shopping? Restaurants? Everything else you do?
2. How are the rooms in your current home?  Walk through each and think about what you would change.  Larger?  Smaller?  Located somewhere else?  What other rooms do you need?  What rooms do you never use?
3. Consider your family and lifestyle and how it could change in your new home.  If you like to entertain, where does the entertainment happen?   In the kitchen?  In the basement with a big-screen TV, beer fridge and football stuff?  In the yard or outside on the deck?  The ages of any children will have a bearing on the house.  If they are young and you need to include them every minute, a family room or play area adjoining the kitchen would be good.  If your children are older and need their own space, a basement would be helpful.
4. What kind of community do you want?  Old and established or brand new?  Close to everything and self-contained, or with no near-by neighbors at all?
5. How large a yard?  Keep in mind that in this area, the size of the yard is the single most important factor in the price (next to the location).
6. Most people have to compromise on something. The trick is to begin to think about the things you’d rather not compromise on.  Don’t get too locked in to absolutes until you’ve looked at some homes and have been able to refine your search.
7. Start looking at homes online at the “Search for Homes” button for the link to Homesdatabase. This is the same place realtors go so it has to be accurate (we just get more information from it).  It will be the most reliable source of listed homes.
8. We’ll look at FSBOs (For Sale By Owner) and foreclosure lists, newspapers and anywhere possible to find your home.
9. What else do you do with your life?  If you like outdoor activities, do you want to be close to a river for canoeing or a good park for running or hiking?  The attached “New Home Checklist” may help sort out some of the things to look for in searching for your new home.

It is true that you will usually know your new home when you see it!