Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Time and Patience Needed When Buying A New Home

The entire process of buying a home takes time and patience.  Home buyers are excited and often times a bit overenthusiastic to get into the home of their dreams.  This fanatical excitement can often leave home buyers to sabotage their real estate agents efforts at getting their client a home of their dreams.  When working with a realtor here are some things to be aware of to ensure a smooth home buying process.  Creating a relationship of mutual understanding between realtor and client is essential for buyers to get the home of their dreams.

Are You Guilty of Sabotaging Your New Home Dreams?

One mistake many buyers make is that they care too much about the homes aesthetics.  Professional real estate agents are happy to show you just as many houses as desire until you find the one that is perfect for you.  The problem is that many buyers can only see the beauty as it is and forget that the splendor of any home is more than meets the eye.  Initially, it may be tempting to get caught up in how the house currently looks however a house that is out of date, dirty or in need of some small handyman repairs buyers are often tempted to run and continue their search elsewhere.

Buyers should consider this instead:

The cost of improvements that need to be done to the home can be negotiated into the closing deal.  It can even be set up that the minor fixes that you would like to see done can be included in the details of the contract.

Another common mistake is that buyers often show their hand and give away any ability to negotiate.  Your comfort with your real estate agent is crucial however don’t let it get in the way of making the best deal possible with the seller.  It has happened before; many buyers start talking a bit too much when looking at homes and sellers overhear their criticisms.  When this occurs it could hurt the entire negotiation process.

When you find the home you love don’t make the mistake of waiting too long to put an offer on the table.  In a competitive real estate market there isn’t a lot of time to wait to make an offer.   Nothing drives a real estate agent nuttier than knowing they have found their buyer the perfect home and yet they aren’t ready to commit.  If you find a home you are in love with put an offer in, get the negotiation process started and begin planning for your future.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that buying a home is all about money.  Yes a large offer looks appealing but a lower offer with few contingencies and the perfect timing can appear even more tempting.

It is important to listen to your real estate agent throughout the entire process.  When you discuss with them what you want and need they are listening to you.  They are the professionals and this is what you are paying them for.  Be sure to put your faith in them, take to heart their advice and allow them to guide you down the path to homeownership.

Lady of the Lakes Real Estate is Livingston County’s premiere realtor; out of Pinckney, Michigan helping buyers buy and sellers sell homes that provide a recreational lifestyle including golf courses, lakes and the Huron river chain of lakes, throughout Brighton, Howell, Pinckney and the surrounding area. Find out more at http://www.ladyofthelakes.com.

Quick and Easy Home Buying Checklist

If you are seriously considering a house to purchase take time to really look into it before making an offer or hiring a home inspector.  Many buyers don’t take the time necessary to look into a home’s they are seriously considering spending many years in.   A quick twenty minute once over is not going to suffice when really considering a home.

Make a checklist when working with a realtor.  A home without any potential can instantly be pulled from the list.  Homes that deserve consideration should be gone through using the check list below.  This list alone can save home buyers a ton of time and money.   This will help to ensure you aren’t paying for professional home inspections on homes that aren’t truly worth your time or money.

Checklist for New Home Buyers

Inspect the home for dampness:  Dampness can occur in a home for many reasons.  Some are easier to locate and fix than others.  A damp, moldy smell or flaking plaster may be coming from a small, easily repaired leak in the attic however it could also be coming from the place of a deeper more expensive issue.  It is best to find the reason the home is damp and evaluate it for yourself before putting an odder in on a home that exhibits any signs of moisture.

Examine the homes structural soundness: Look for cracks in the structure.  These may be small hairline cracks or larger fissures.  Check areas of stress such as window bays, extension joints and areas of the home where the structure can fall or bow away from the homes structure.  If you see serious issues understand that these repairs are costly and bringing in structural inspectors will cost you major money upfront for evaluation purposes only.  It may not be worth falling in love with a home that exhibits structural issues.

Check out storage space: Storage is a make or break deal for many homeowners.  Small issues such as where the trash will live or the vacuum cleaner will be stored are minor issues.  However, don’t overlook the need to store gardening supplies, holiday decorations, bikes, boats and more.  Check to see if cupboards or shelves can be installed to increase the amount of convenient and available storage space within the home.

Look into size of individual rooms: Measure each room to determine the exact size of the space.  Staging can be pretty tricky.  Designers take smaller scaled furniture and bring it in to enhance the spaciousness of smaller rooms. Be aware of this practice and don’t fall victim to it.  Measure the space and visually layout the size of your furniture or appliances in the room.  This will give you a more accurate way of determining if the space will fit your current belongings.

In our next installment on things buyers should overlook when buying a home we will examine further tricks involved in staging and how to spot issues when homes have had fresh flooring and paint updates.

Lady of the Lakes Real Estate is Livingston County’s premiere realtor; out of Pinckney, Michigan helping buyers buy and sellers sell homes that provide a recreational lifestyle including golf courses, lakes and the Huron river chain of lakes, throughout Brighton, Howell, Pinckney and the surrounding area. Find out more at http://www.ladyofthelakes.com.