How many properties should I look at before I make an offer?

There’s no one answer to this question, so let us tell you what you should be thinking about before you schedule your “first” showing.

Wants Vs. Needs

First figure out exactly what you NEED in a home and then write it down. Then determine whether that NEED is negotiable or not, and then write that down next to it.

Next, determine what you WANT in a home. You may have a lot of wants, but try to be…no BE REALISTIC when deciding what you WANT in a home. Put your most important WANTS at the top of the list, and your lesser wants at the bottom, and mark them either negotiable or non negotiable.

Do your research

Now that you have your NEED and WANT list, you want to start carefully researching homes online. This step is very important because you can easily weed out homes that don’t fit your criteria, which will allow you to put more focus on the ones that match what you’re looking for.

If you skip this step, the chances that you’ll end up looking at a lot of homes that don’t fit your criteria is very high.

Select 3-5 houses to view on the same day

This step is not always possible, but if you strive to make it happen, you’ll save yourself a lot of time. If your plan is to look at one home on Tuesday, two more the following Thursday, and then 3 more on Sunday….you’re not going to “build momentum” with the process.

There’s a big chance that all of the homes will start “blending together” and you may forget what Tuesday’s home looks like. Or worse, after seeing the last 3 homes on Sunday, you may want to make an offer on the home that you looked at on Tuesday…and guess what?

It’s been purchased by another buyer. You don’t want that to happen do you?

Be realistic

Everyone wants a deal, but in order to get a good deal, you must know what a good deal is when you see it. And the only way that you can do that is to determine what your NEEDS and WANTS are, and then do the research.

A good Realtor-Realtist will go over the process with you prior to showing you any homes, so take the session seriously. Ask questions; it’s better to ask a lot of questions up front so that you can get your answers in advance as opposed to bumping your head throughout the entire process.

If you’d like to speak to one of our Realtist about your Buying Wants and Needs be sure to schedule a free consultation and let’s begin your Home Buying journey.