After you’ve made the decision to buy a home and have already met with your agent and solidified a working relationship, your next step is to actually start pounding the pavement in search of the perfect home.
Your agent will already have made a list of homes that meet all of your criteria, including price, location, size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and so forth. Once you’ve narrowed your focus, it’s time to start visiting homes!
But what can you expect during showings?
Wear shoes that you can easily take on and off.
You’re probably going to look at a few homes each time you step out for showings. As such, it would be much easier for you to wear shoes that can easily be taken off and on. Shoes that have a lot of laces or are particularly hard to pull off can turn out to be a real nuisance when you’re taking them on and off a few times within a two-hour span.
Put a limit on the number of homes you visit in one day.
Seeing too many homes in one shot can be overwhelming. Not only is it tiring to visit too many properties, but you’ll start to get confused about which homes you saw and the features of each. You may even forget that you’ve visited a particular home at all. If you want to minimize any negative effects and stay focused, it’s suggested that you visit no more than 5 properties on any given day.
Be prepared to fall in love with the first house.
It’s usually recommended to visit a few homes before choosing to put in an offer on one, but that doesn’t mean you won’t absolutely love the first home you see. Sometimes buyers may visit other homes afterward, only to come back to the first one they ever visited. In fact, about 60% of my clients find a house that they love on their first visit, so it’s absolutely normal to put in an offer after the first showing. Be ready to pounce when the right house comes along.
Go to each visit with a checklist of must-haves.
It’s critical that you make a list of all the features you need or want. After all, this is how your agent will try to narrow down the list of homes that you inevitably visit.
That said, you should always go to each showing armed with this checklist so that you don’t forget about certain necessities that you are looking for in a home. Considering all the homes you’ll likely be visiting, it can be challenging to remember all these items. Having your checklist handy will be of great help.
Final thoughts . . .
If you do find a property that you like, arrange for another showing at a different time of day and check out the local community a little more. If possible, bring someone else along (aside from your realtor) who might be able to give you their opinion and some support. This is a big purchase and a big decision, so make sure you’ve got the right team behind you to help you make the right one!