To help you choose the best real estate professional to represent you in the home buying process, it is important to understand what your personal objectives are, so you can present these to prospective agents and evaluate their ability to help you meet your goals.
One of your primary objectives will be to secure a home that will meet the needs of your family. Here are a few things to consider:
Community
What is important to you? Proximity to employment? Proximity to schools? Is shopping or public transportation important? Do you prefer the peace and quiet of a rural or suburban community or the hustle and bustle of city life? Who are “your people” and where do they live?
Schools
Are schools an important consideration for your family? What do you want? Diversity? Proximity? Excellent testing scores?
How Long Will You Live In This House?
It’s never too soon to contemplate your exit strategy from this new investment. Understanding your expected time horizon in this home impacts many issues, including mortgage alternatives, resale implications and the amount of space you need.
Price
It is critical to understand what you can comfortably afford to pay for your home. Use our calculators to help you determine this number or tap into my personal expertise to help keep your home purchase within your budget.
Choosing Your New Home
When you are touring prospective new homes, it is critical to distinguish between a home’s “skin” and its “bones.” The “bones” are the aspects of the home that cannot be changed – location, lot size, physical configuration, environment (social & physical), schools and other fixed features.
The “skin” of the house, on the other hand, represents superficial qualities like carpet and paint color, wallpaper, landscaping and window coverings. While the skin can be readily changed, it is beneficial to your budget to keep in mind the related costs.
In evaluating your prospective new home, it is often more important to evaluate bones than skin of the house, because a propertie's skin can be changed to suit your particular needs and tastes. Along these same lines, don’t get too taken with a house’s decor if your own furnishings are radically different. To the fullest extent possible, try to imagine the house empty and “skinless.”