You’ve probably read articles about the “pitfalls” you might encounter when you purchase Davie real estate or properties in the surrounding areas. The four things described below aren’t the only things you’ll need to consider, but if you follow these four steps, you’ll set your home search on the right path at the outset.
Things You SHOULD Do
1. Find the REALTOR®. You may think that REALTORS® don’t care about your best interest and are only out to sell you a house as quickly as possible. And, I hate to admit it, but that is the goal of some real estate agents. On the other hand, there are REALTORS® who love what they do, are successful enough to help clients at their own pace, and who take great pride in giving each client an outstanding experience.
Why work with a REALTOR®? The home sellers have an agent representing them, providing market insight, negotiation skills and more. Having a representative of your own will level the playing field when it comes to a home purchase.
In addition, working with an experienced REALTOR® will save you time and frustration, give you the local market information you need to make informed decisions and allow you to delegate all the details related to the purchase process.
2. Decide What You Want in a Neighborhood. Every neighborhood has its own personality, which is impacted by a number of factors. For example, if you have school age children, one of your selection criteria may be the ranking of a neighborhood’s school system.
If you’re looking for a quiet environment, you’ll want to check on the location of typical noise-makers such as major highways, train tracks, schools, airport flight lanes, etc. You will also want to check with local officials to identify any development that is planned in your favorite neighborhood.
3. Decide What You Want in a Home. If the world were perfect, you’d be able to find a home that fulfilled all of your hopes and dreams. Of course, that’s not possible unless you build a custom home, and even then, you’d most likely need to make a compromise or two.
Start by creating a “must have” list. If you really need four bedrooms, don’t look at three-bedroom homes. The last thing you want to do is fall in love with a three-bedroom home, then find that the lack of a fourth bedroom creates stress for as long as you live in the home. Identify the things you’re willing to compromise on, too.
When you look at homes, evaluate the homes based on “fixable” vs. “non-fixable” factors. If you hate the paint colors, that’s an easy fix. If you discover that the road in front of the home is scheduled to be widened to four lanes, that’s a non-fixable issue.
4. Get Pre-Approved. If you will finance the purchase of your home, getting pre-approved before you start looking at homes is a huge factor in avoiding frustration. With a pre-approval, you can narrow your search to homes in the price range you can afford, avoiding the frustration of falling in love with a home that you can’t finance.
You’ll see another big advantage when it’s time to make an offer and close the deal. Sellers will take your offer much more seriously if they know that your financing is secure. You’ll also be in a better negotiating position because the seller won’t need to worry about the deal falling through due to financing issues.
Stay Tuned. . .
for the next Davie real estate advice post, where we’ll identify the four most critical things you should not do if you want to avoid frustration. If we can be of assistance to you in buying or selling Davie real estate, call us at 954-242-8030 or send an email. We’ll make sure you take the necessary steps to ensure a successful transaction!
