Actually, these are some great tips for buyers – first time or repeat – anywhere.
About a month ago I was contacted by Scott Riley, author of Homebuyer Nation, “where first time homebuyers hangout,†and he asked a question – “what is a unique piece of advice I give to my (first time) homebuyers.†While I shared Jeremy’s thought that I’d answer and never hear from him again, I answered. And then was surprised when I Scott sent me a link to the post. Then I was super-happy to see the other 31 contributors to the piece were almost all people from around the country that I’ve both heard of and think highly of (a hard thing to on the inter webs).
What I’m getting at is this – if you’re looking for some great tips for preparing for the home buying process, spend a few minutes looking through the questions at his post, 32 Home Buying Tips from Some of the World’s Most Popular Realtors. What I like best is that the advice given is useful – slow down, take your time, don’t fall in love, don’t buy too much house, use a local lender, use a full-time Realtor – all tips that are practical, applicable and frankly, good.
All great tips and I especially like your contribution. You may recall that for us, just spending an hour one afternoon walking around the neighborhood near a potential house was what convinced us to look in a different neighborhood and now two years later we’re so glad we did.
I absolutely remember that … I’ve told that story to clients several times. As I recall, it wasn’t just the one thing but the progression of things leading to the culmination at the playground …
One thing can be overlooked, but two or three things typically aren’t coincidences.
And I too am immensely happy that y’all did that and bought where you did!
I love this format. Great link! I completely support the advice to only buy a home that you can afford. A pre-approved loan amount does not mean that you can actually afford that payment. People differ on how they spend their monthly income. Spending $400 a month eating out does not show up on the pre-approval checklist but would have a serious impact on a person’s ability to pay a mortgage.
Thanks so much for sharing this Jim! And thank you again for your great tip. See ya around!