My husband and I are looking for a house and it's only been 3 weeks, but it is very stressful We have a realtor, but we're looking online for houses ourselves, then driving by the houses to see if we like the locations first before we request a showing. We're getting frustrated because we can't seem to find what we want in a house. We keep getting our hopes up only to see the house in person and find it's not as it appeared on the website. Does anyone have tips? Do we just need to be patient?
2007-10-27 18:43:53 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Business & Finance ➔ Renting & Real Estate
Anything worth doing is worth doing right. You don't want to get inpatient and buy a house that you think you need to "settle for". If you are going to pay that kind of money for something, you want to be sure it is exactly what you want. Here is a couple of tips. One, make a list of specific things you are looking for in a house (i.e. fenced in backyard, spacious cabinets in kitchen, at least 2 bath, etc.) and detail which things you are flexible on and which one you are not. Give the list to your realtor, and stress it's importance. This will help to avoid some of the build-up and let-down effect.
Two. When you think you have found a house you like, before going thru with the paperwork, talk to some of the neighbors, find out things like level of crime or break-ins in the area, if there is a lot of traffic or if its pretty quite (important if you have small children that may be playing in the yard alot), and any other questions you can think of. You can also check with the local police dept. about the crime rate. Check the statistics of the area schools where your children(if you have any) may attend for there academics standards and state ranking. All of these are important when you want to consider where you may spend the rest of your life, or at least the next several years. Finding just the right place takes considerable time, prepare yourself to look for 6 months or more, and if you find one quicker, then its just that much sweeter when you do find the right one. Just remember, it's better to hold out a little longer and find one that suits your needs and wants better, than to buy one that you may regret a year or two down the road, because it's alot easier to find a better one that you do like than to re-sell one that your not happy with.
good luck and happy hunting
2007-10-27 19:18:22 · answer #1 · answered by Shadow 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
yes it is a stressful time, but like many other situations in life you just have to enjoy it and see the fun part of it.
the thing to remember is there is no perfect house and dont get your hopes up too much (unless you have shedloads of money) because to get a decent house, which is within your budget you will have to let go of certain things that you initially wanted in a house.
(like we really wanted a well maintained garden) but ended up buying a house that had a completely messy garden which we cleaned up later - because rest of the house was good nick and price was within our reach.
i suggest you and your husband make a list of what you would like in a house. say for example of 'must have'
- must have a garage or driveway
- must have 3 bedrooms
- must have a newly fitted kitchen
once you have this list, then you can start seeing these things when you view a house. say if it doesnt have a garage or driveway, then its not for you.
slowly you will realise that you will have to strike off some of the items from your list and slowly more and more properties will start fitting your billl.
also it is a good idea to discuss with your husband what kind of work you are prepared to do in a property. some may have a very old kitchen that you want to replace and some only need a lick of paint ... if you know what you are ready to face then the process should become slightly less stresful
also dont forget once you spot the property you like, phase 2 of the stress begins - offers and acceptance, then if the seller is part of a chain and the dates are not fixed etc... but it will all be worth it at the end
good luck!
2007-10-29 02:51:44 · answer #2 · answered by GorGeous_Girl 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Been there. It took us months of driving around looking before we found the house for us.
What I learned was that if they don't have pictures of the inside posted, there is probably a reason. Without exception, every single house that we looked at that did not have pictures of the inside online was an overpriced dump.
Also, if it's cheaper than all the other houses in the neighbourhood, there is probably a reason.
Good luck with the house hunting!
Edited to add: oh, one more thing that I thought of: if a place seems good on paper but you get there and it's disappointing, try mentally removing clutter and painting and see whether minor cosmetic changes would help. The house we finally bought had been on the market for about 6 months at a decent price, and nothing substantial was wrong with it except that the ENTIRE house was painted a gloomy shade of dark beige that could just push a person over the edge and make them want to slit their wrists. It's a nice house in colour, though.
2007-10-27 18:51:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
You and your husband must accept the fact that you will never, ever find the perfect home . . . it only exists in your imagination. However, you can find a home that meets (or exceeds) most of your demands. Make a list of twenty things you would like to see in your new home (fire place, central heat and air, good school district - things of that nature). Rank them from 1 - 15 with one being the most important. Divide the list into thirds . . . the top five or essential (the items that you will not negotiate on . . .) the second five will be used to narrow selection (which one of the first five has the most of the second five). If you find a house that meets 90% of the first five and 50% of the second, ignore the third five.
2007-10-28 01:26:02 · answer #4 · answered by CHARITY G 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Make a list of all your requirements including all the areas where you'd like to live. You already know your budget but sellers often negotiate on price. The estate agents use their "speak" to tempt you into viewing. View new developements to give you an idea of what you'd like your house to look like. Afterall anything can be altered with a lick of paint, flooring and new furniture. You have to imagine your own possessions in a property and try to ignore theirs. It's early days yet and you will have to be patient I'm afraid.
Hope you find your dream home soon and live a long and happy life there. ;) x
2007-10-29 03:00:43 · answer #5 · answered by Soup Dragon 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Write a checklist of the most important features you are looking for and absolutely reject anything without those features!
Location is probably the top feature to look for so rather than going and seeing if you like the location of a house you've seen online, go and check out some locations first and then look for properties in those locations!
2007-10-29 03:12:11 · answer #6 · answered by Skidoo 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's a pig of a time and you just have to keep going. It's all problems and then when you move you wonder why you bother, then things start getting sorted out, and you're glad you went to the trouble. Your other half will have gone to the pub for safety but then he will realise that he needs a clean shirt and thinks it may be safe to return home, perhaps waving a white flag in the hope that his life is safe. You will have a list of jobs that will take him a lifetime and cost a fortune and he will say, "B----y women they're never flamin' happy." and you will settle down to your usual domestic bliss Best wishes.
2007-10-29 11:51:56 · answer #7 · answered by Scouse 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Take a drink.
A sip of alcohol makes the stress disappear.
Keep doing what you are doing though, websites then visiting is the best plan. You'll go through many houses until you find the right one. You'll know when you've found a house you want to live in.
Good luck with the search.
2007-10-29 11:14:28 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I'm a real estate attorney and I couldn't stay sane while I looked for my new home. Thank God it was just me and no spouse was involved! I feel for you, I really do. About the only thing I can suggest is to be patient and keep looking until you find the right place. Sorry I wasn't much help.
2007-10-28 13:32:41 · answer #9 · answered by mcmufin 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Do a drive by in the neighborhood that you desire. If you see anything appealing for sale then call for a showing. This way you can also find houses for sale by owner. which is not always listed on the internet
good luck - what state are you looking at
2007-10-28 06:39:38 · answer #10 · answered by LITTLEBIT 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋