With plenty of housing inventory to preview, how can a buyer remember which homes warrant a second look? After previewing five to seven homes, it's really challenging to remember the good features each home offers. Here's the system I share with my pre-approved Buyers. They have successfully used the following steps and of course have added their own tweaks.
1. Make a list of specific criteria that are important to you such as location, school district, lot size, number of bedrooms, baths, fireplace, eat in kitchen vs breakfast room one story vs. 2+stories, finished basement, garage etc. and provide to your Realtor. A custom search can help pinpoint properties in your price range that reflect your criteria.
2. Ask your Realtor to provide you with multi - picture MLS sheets for each property that has been scheduled to preview that day. You will then have property details as well as a visual reminder about the home and it's features.
3. Plan on seeing no more than 5-7 homes a day ( of course a re-location Buyer may need to see more but the principles to evaluate homes remain the same).
4. Develop a numeric rating system(1-10 or 1-100); based upon your criteria. Give each home a numeric value immediately after previewing. NOTE to SELLERS: a home that is scrupulously clean and well maintained usually gets a higher mark!
5. Keep the numeric rating with the multi - picture MLS sheet for reference. At the end of the day, determine if there are any homes that you would to see for a second time. This becomes your short list: an easy reminder of the homes that best suite your needs and that you feel drawn to.
Enjoy your house hunting in an organized and successful way!
Margot Aronson is a full time Realtor, ASR (Accredited Seller Representative) and CDPE at RE/MAX 440 4092 Skippack Pike Skippack, PA (610) 306-7939 cell (610) 584-1160 margotaronson@live.com www.margotaronson.com
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