We have shown hundreds of properties to hundreds of clients over the years that we have been in business. Some of our clients knew what exactly they were looking for, some did not, and then there were others who hadn’t the slightest clue regarding what they should be looking out for in their new house.
When you have decided to buy a new home, and you are about to begin the process of house-hunting, knowing the qualities that you want your new house to possess is a great start. However, knowing the best practices to follow when looking for your dream house is a much better way to approach the exercise.
This is why we have compiled a list of tips to help you know the best practices that you should employ when you begin your house-hunting exercise.
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Consider the location:
The location of a property should be a significant factor in influencing your decision to buy or not. Do you want a house in the rural parts of Arizona or the more commercial districts? Do you have any children? Is the house within close enough proximity from your place of employment? All these and more should impact your decision about whether to buy a property or not.
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Rank the places you see on a scale of 0-10:
Rank the houses you have viewed on a scale, zero being the worst house you’ve seen so far, and 10 being the house that best fits into your ideal image of what you want your home to look like; it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be perfect for you. This little trick will help you make a decision faster and makes the process of selecting a house out of the many options you have seen much more straightforward.
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Don’t forget your notepad:
When you are on the lookout for a new house, your notepad should be your best friend. As is expected, you will be going through a lot of properties, and it is unwise to think that you will remember each detail about each property by only committing it to memory. This is why it is advisable to bring along your notepad to take notes, jot down details you will like to remember, make comparisons, and make a list of items that will need to be repaired or brought to the attention of the seller before you make a purchase.
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Consider the hidden costs:
When you are calculating the cost of your new home, do not forget to include the expenses that you cannot see. These include hidden expenses such as the cost of repairs, utilities, Homeowners Association fees, and Insurance policies. Ask your real estate agent about all of these and include them in your costing when calculating how much a house is really going to take out of your pocket.
Finally, we recommend that you don’t stop at just viewing the house by yourself. Contact a professional and have them conduct a thorough quality check on the property so that you can receive a list of things that need to be repaired and accurately calculate your estimates. Once you have done this, we suggest talking to the seller to see if they are willing to conduct the repairs by themselves or lower the overall cost of the home.
We hope these tips have been helpful to you in your house-hunting exercise. Do you have any other tips about house hunting you would like to share with us? Let us know in the comments!