Help Your Agent Help You

Three things buyers should do before they start house shopping.

The home-buying process can be an exciting and scary time. As your agent, it’s my job to make the experience as smooth as possible. With a market like this, it's easy to get carried away, but here are three things you can do to help your agent help you:

1. A buyer's consultation. Any good agent will ask you if you'd like to sit down for a buyer's consultation. These meetings will take about 30 minutes, and you'll walk away with a whole heap of knowledge. The agent will get to know your specific wants and needs, you’ll have the chance to ask them questions, and they’ll walk you through the buying process.

“Think about these things before you start touring homes with your agent.”

2. Speak with a lender. It’s never too early to speak with a lender. You can even do this before you meet with an agent. If you don't have a lender you know and trust, your agent will be able to recommend some. Your lender will look at your long-term goals and your specific needs to determine your financing options. Even if you find that it's not the right time to buy, you'll leave the meeting with a game plan for how you can get approved a bit sooner in this market. It’s imperative that you've been pre-approved before starting your home search so that your agent can submit the strongest and most competitive offer on the home that you want.

3. Familiarize yourself with the area you want to live in. Before you start taking house tours, drive through the area to see if you enjoy certain neighborhoods. If you're a foodie, does that area have restaurants that you love? Will your kids need to change schools or districts? How’s your work commute? These are all little things that will help you determine the type of home and the place that you want to live.

These things are incredibly important to think about before you start walking into homes with your agent. Even doing one of them will make a world of difference in your home-buying experience. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you.