The real estate market shifts between a buyers' or sellers' market, depending on supply and demand. However, regardless of which market we're currently in, here are key ways to get the home you want.
• Be Prepared: Be on time for your viewing of a home, being organized with your financial documents, and being responsive when requests for documents, signatures, or answers are needed from your real estate professionals.
• Be Time Conscious: Be aware of how much time you need to view a home. If you try to see too many homes in one day, chances are you're not going to treat each home with the same respect. The first homes might get lots of attention by the time you're on, say, 15th home of the day, you might be so tired that you blaze through it barely giving this last home the attention it deserves.. You'll end up wasting your time and potentially making a poor choice because you were worn out when you viewed it. Instead, you may have to return to the last few homes you viewed that day. While it's often expected to return to a home you're very interested in, it's time-consuming to have to return to several homes simply because you weren't able to focus or pay attention in great detail.
• Be Pre-Approved: As a serious buyer you need to be ready to take action should you find the right home. Shopping for homes is serious business. It's likely the largest monetary transaction you'll make; being financially and emotionally prepared is good etiquette and will help expedite the process.
• Be Courteous: When viewing a home, if the sellers are present (sometimes this happens), don't share your likes or dislikes about the home with them. Keep the conversation to a minimum with the sellers. You want to make sure you leave the negotiation process to your experienced real estate agent. If you have questions about the home, be sure to take good notes and consult with your agent. Your agent is the liaison for good reason. If the house isn't right for you from the moment you set foot in it, at least give it a quick walk-through, just to be absolutely certain.
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