House Hunting

Who is going to find the homes to see?
Let me clear something up right away. The real estate agent AND the buyer both should be searching for real estate at the same time. The agent will likely set up an automated search and take a daily look at the local multiple listing service. The buyer should be using their favorite real estate app to search. This way, NOTHING falls through the cracks. Sometimes homes are listed in the area you are looking but NOT in the local MLS. The only way for you to see these is to be using a third party app to search on your own. You are a PARTNER in the search process with your agent. If you put in effort to fwd them all the listings you see that are outside the parameters of what their search sends you, then you will be much more likely to find a home.
 
What should I do when I have homes I want to see?
This is when you would forward the links to the listing for each home you want to see to your agent (me). Also let them know what days and times you are available to see the homes.  Make sure the homes are logistically possible to see (not so far apart that you wouldn't have enough time to see them all within three hours or so). Also limit your list to five homes at a time. Once you see five they all start to blend together.
 
HUGE TIP: Street view the places you want to see in person if you can't drive by them before the scheduled viewings. You will save yourself a TON of time by crossing off places that are located in a place you don't want to live (next to railroad tracks or a convenience stores for example)
Home Tours
How many homes will we see?
I have had folks find the home they wanted to offer on in a handful of showings and I have shown others more than 50 homes over the course of months. The normal amount is somewhere around 20 home tours. 
 
How do Showings Work?
When you find homes you would like to see, we block off a period of 1-4 hours to see the homes on the day you are available. I send a google calendar invite out to my clients so they know exactly when they need to be where. NO, I don't typically drive people around for showings unless they are out of town buyers just in town for a short period of time. You will meet me at the first showing and you will drive yourself from one showing to the next. Showings are typically about 15-30 minutes long and sometimes slightly longer when you find the home you like. I typically allow my clients to check out the house on their own while I examine the mechanicals of the property and make notes when I see any items of concern.
 
When you find the ONE
Once you find a home you are ready to put an offer on you will know. You will usually feel some type of emotionally connection with the home. It is possible to buy a home that you don't have an emotional connection to, however, you must remember something very important. If you don't love the home when you see it in person, you likely are not going to grow to love it later. So you picked a home you want to offer on, now what? Now, it's time for us to discuss our offer strategy.
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