How To Make The Most Of A Day Of Viewing Homes For Sale
First, get a good night's rest. If you have several homes lined up, this will be a long day.
Wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes. You'll be getting in and out of cars and walking around property, and if you're uncomfortable your attention will be divided.
Take only the essentials. Leave your heavy purse or briefcase behind unless you'll be traveling in your own car or will feel comfortable leaving them in the Realtor's car. The essentials you need are:
- A small camera… preferably digital so you can quickly review the photos you'll take of each home for sale.
- Nutritious snacks… just in case you are nowhere near a restaurant at lunch time.
- A bottle of water.
- A notepad for writing down details you might forget later.
I'm assuming that you will have already gone over your "needs and wants" list with your Realtor before the day's appointments were made. If you haven't, bring that along and let her or him eliminate any houses that are completely unsuitable for you. If you are allergic to cigarette smoke, be sure to let your Realtor know ahead of time so that you are shown only non-smoking houses.
If you have small children, leave them with a sitter or trusted friend. They'll soon be exhausted, bored, and wishing it was time to go home. And, when your attention is on caring for the children you might overlook important features of the homes you'll be seeing. After you've narrowed the field of homes for sale down to two or three, then take the kids along.
If you have older children, take them along only if they're truly interested and love looking at homes for sale. Make sure they know they need to stay with you when you are viewing homes. You probably have wonderful kids who would never get into anything… but unless your Realtor knows them well, he or she doesn't know that. Wandering kids will distract the Realtor and could prevent you from learning things you need to know.
Don't bring the dog. (Sounds crazy, but some people do.)
Don't wear heavy perfume. Your Realtor or the people residing in the homes may be allergic.
Once on the road, be sure to take note of where you're going and how to get there so you can go back to drive through the neighborhood on your own. (Please don't go back to the house on your own, however.)
If you see a house for sale that looks interesting, but is not on the day's list, do tell the Realtor. Sometimes it's possible to get an immediate showing, and if not, she can arrange for you to see it later.
Help the Realtor by being clear and specific about the things you do or don't like about each home. That information will help him zero in on the home you'll love and save you hours of looking at the wrong things.
There's probably nothing more frustrating to a Realtor than buyers who like every house for sale, but still don't find the home they want. So, once back in the car, let the Realtor know if you really love the rock fireplace but hate the kitchen layout.
If you see one that interests you, but you aren't quite sure it's "the one," let your Realtor know. You'll want to go back there again after you've seen a few more. In addition, it will let your Realtor know the look that appeals to you.
Try not to cram too many houses into the same day. After a half dozen or so they all start to look alike and you start to forget which house had which feature.
Take time with your Realtor at the end of the day to sort the houses you saw into two lists: one for "maybes" and one for "definitely nots."
Of course, if you've found your dream house, take a short break to talk it over with the other decision maker(s) and decide on your offering price. Then sit down with your Realtor and get that offer written!
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