Sunday, May 11, 2014

Before You Buy, Tell Your Realtor These Four Things

By Pammy McGrath


If you are thinking about buying a home, contacting a professional real estate agent is almost always the best way to start your search. A trusted realtor not only helps you find suitable homes and sets up appointments for visitation, they also can help you through the maze of negotiations and escrow. Before you meet for that first time, you need to gather some important information to share with your realtor.

It's always wise to meet with a lender and get loan pre-approval prior to beginning a home search. The lender will look over your finances and determine the amount of money that the lending company is willing to provide to you. This amount plus your down payment is typically the highest amount that you can afford comfortably. However, even if you are pre-approved for $300,000 and have an addition $30,000 for the down payment, you might still want to spend less. Be sure to tell your realtor what you are pre-approved for and, more importantly, what you are comfortable spending.

One of the first things your realtor will need to know is your maximum budget, but there is definitely more that you need to share. You need to bring along an organized wish list of features you want to see in your new home. This includes the size of the home and yard, the number of bedrooms, the number of bathrooms and even the size of the garage. While some elements are more crucial than others, be sure to include all of your likes, such as having a designated home office, a finished basement or an updated kitchen with all of those swanky stainless steel appliances and granite counters. Be sure to add information about styles you like, such as a modern and contemporary home or perhaps something more traditional.

Realistically, there is probably no home that will meet 100 percent of all your wants, so you need to be willing to bend somewhat in your expectations. However, there might be a few items on your list that are must-haves. This might include the number of bedrooms or perhaps staying within a particular school district. Location generally is the most important request, because this can never be changed, so if you are happy with the location of the home and the home's size and layout, this might be more than enough to interest you in making an offer even if it doesn't check off every box of your wish list.

Also be sure to tell your realtor what you absolutely do not want. Perhaps you don't wish to have a home on a busy street or in a particular part of town. Maybe you absolutely hate split-level homes or hate contemporary style homes or you do not want to have a home with a downstairs master bedroom. Perhaps you just cannot handle the work of dealing with a fixer-upper or you need a home that is not far from where you work. Whatever you really dislike or don't want, share this with your realtor as well.

For more than 35 years, the experts at Nixon Real Estate have been helping their clients find ideal Texas Hill Country real estate. If you are hoping to find Fredericksburg real estate, Kerrville real estate, San Antonio real estate or any type of Hill Country real estate, call on the team at Nixon Real Estate. They specialize in finding homes, commercial properties and land throughout Texas Hill County.




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