10 Steps:
1) Define Needs
2) Pre-Qualify
3) Local Info
4) Home Search
5) Make Offer
6) Negotiate
7) Vendors
8) Pre-Close
9) Close
10) Post-Close
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3. Gather Local Information
Now that you have your list of needs and wants and you know
how much you can afford to spend, it's time to look at some
houses! Not just yet. Step back for a moment and consider
the larger picture. People don't just buy a house; they buy
the neighborhood the house is in. Think about that...if you
found the perfect house but it was in a neighborhood that
wasn't to your liking, would you make an offer on it? Most
likely the answer would be, "No."
So, you will need to make another list of what type of neighborhood
you want to live in. You will most likely want to consider
things like how living in the neighborhood will affect your
drive time to and from work, what amenities are offered (swimming
pool, tennis courts, park, etc.), and, if you have children
who are attending school or soon will be, what school district
you will be in and how close the schools are. You may even
want to make two lists just as you did with your home criteria.
Your real estate agent can help you consolidate the information
from your list of needs and wants for your home, your preapproval,
and your list of needs and wants for the neighborhood. From
this, you can incorporate this information into a broad search
profile, which will then be narrowed down to specific areas
dictated by the market in which you will be looking. Your
agent's experience in local markets will be an invaluable
resource during this step.
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