Buying a Home Easy Today
Insider tips and tactics for buying a home in a seller’s market
(BPT) – Whether you’re a millennial looking to buy your first home or a boomer thinking about buying a home to downsize your empty nest, you’re probably aware that it’s a seller’s market out there.
Homes are selling at lightning speed, bidding wars are commonplace, buyers often have little to no room for negotiation and the price of those homes keeps rising.
But don’t worry! Just because it’s a seller’s market doesn’t mean you can’t get a good deal on the home of your dreams. Here are some insider tips and tactics from the pros at RE/MAX, LLC to help you get your slice of the American dream at a price you can afford.
Work with a full-time, experienced agent. This is critical, vital and non-negotiable. Things move so fast and offers are made within minutes of seeing a home. If you don’t have a real estate agent, you can easily be overwhelmed by this thrill ride. Your agent can help you with negotiation, serve as your champion, and can guide you through this process as a pro.
Get pre-approved with a lender. When you’re pre-approved, you’ve done all the paperwork up front. The bank has decided what you can afford to spend. This tells the seller you mean business and are ready to roll when buying a home.
Use technology. If you aren’t using technology, you are missing out. Hop on remax.com and view homes within your price range or in your desired school zone or neighborhood. You can also get a sense of what’s selling at your budget and even calculate your estimated mortgage payment.
Don’t wait to request a showing. If you’re checking out houses online, ask your agent to request a showing as soon as you see one you like. Don’t wait until the weekend. You know what they say about he who hesitates …
Don’t wait to make an offer. If you like it, jump on it. Make your offer clean (no contingencies such as the sale of another property), if possible, and consider offering favorable concessions to the seller such as a flexible closing date. When buying a home, you might have to concede in one area, but make it up in another.
Think outside the box. You might have come into your home search wanting to live in a specific neighborhood. What if you expanded your horizons a bit? Cast your net wider into areas you hadn’t considered. A lovely gem might be waiting out there for you.
Don’t make a major purchase between offer and closing. If you do, it could upset your debt-to-income ratio. Your lender could run the numbers again, and you’d be sunk. Hold off buying furniture or ordering new appliances until after closing documents have been signed and the place is yours.
Following the advice of your agent is always critical, but it’s even more important in a seller’s market. He or she will guide you through the process, and you’ll be unpacking boxes in your dream home in no time!
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6 responses to “Buying a Home Easy Today”
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Thank you so much for this wonderful piece on buying a home. I really appreciate the point you made on using technology, I am sure going to use my device to look up the exact house that fits my budget and as you suggested I wouldn’t waste a second in bidding. Thank you so much for this much needed info.
You’re welcome, Julie. Buying a home today is very different from a few years ago. Buying today in a seller’s market is also different.
I cannot imagine buying a home today without technology. It is so easy to download a few apps and see listings in the palm of your hand. Thanks for sharing such a comprehensive article. What’s the best way to find a full-time, experienced agent?
Thanks for your question Nick. The best way to find a good real estate agent is using technology, the internet. A little research will give you a lot of valuable information. The folks at BankRate have some good tips at this URL: https://www.bankrate.com/finance/real-estate/7-tips-for-picking-a-real-estate-agent-1.aspx Hope this helps.
Boy, you are so right about this being a seller’s market. I was looking at homes this past weekend and found one that I liked. I called my agent & said I would like to see it and she told me that there were four offers and that the seller had accepted the one that was a few thousand over the asking price.
Sorry you missed that one Samantha. We’re definitely in a seller’s market & who knows how long it will last. Until then, if you see a home that you like, have your agent schedule a viewing as quickly as possible.