If you are a first-time homebuyer, this is a scary time for you. You are about to make the most significant purchase of your life, and you are probably scared to make a final decision. What home is right for you?
Let us help you here with three powerful points to start:
- An ethical real estate agent will NEVER EVER pressure you into buying a house.
- You will instinctively know that you have found the right house. Trust your gut.
- You may want to “sleep on it” and make your decision the next day. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT do this if your agent advises you not to.
Let’s talk about these three points a little bit more.
Your agent may tell you that there is much activity on the house and you should act fast. This information is not to pressure you; this is the agent doing their job. If they know that the market is hot and can tell you like this house, they will be doing you a disservice by not advising you to move forward. At the end of the day, it’s your call but please don’t take this as your agent pressuring you.
When you pull up into the driveway, and you love the exterior of the house and can’t wait to go inside, you are on your way to falling in love. If after you leave that showing and feel like that’s the house for you, don’t question it. Your gut is usually right; trust it this time!
Many home buyers are very cautious, as they should be, and want to “sleep on it.” If your agent advises you that the market is hot and there is a lot of activity on this house, trust them. Make the offer! Trust me, you will only lose a house once by sleeping on it, and you will kick yourself for months and maybe even years to come.
Now, let’s really talk about how you decide what home is right for you and your family.
Your agent should have you make a couple of lists. The first one will be a Must Have list. These are the non-negotiable things the house must have. Do you absolutely need four bedrooms? What about a gas stove? For some people a gas stove is non-negotiable. What about a fireplace? Some other examples are location and lot size.
Then make a Want or Wish List. These are the things you are looking for in a house that would be really nice to have but not necessarily deal killers. Maybe you would like a bonus room, but it wouldn’t be a deal killer if all of your other Must Haves were met. You may really want beautiful wood floors, but if the house were perfect other than the fact it had laminate flooring, you would move forward and change them later.
Does the house check off your Must Have list?
- Are there many items on your Want/Wish list that are checked off?
- Do you feel like you don’t want to look at any more houses?
- Are you feeling a little possessive about the house?
- Do you find yourself excited to tell your family and friends about the house?
- If you have answered yes to these questions, my friend, you have decided on a house that is right for you and your family.
Let the negotiating begin!
Posted by Kristina Cusick on
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