Step 3 - Learn
The Neighborhood
Now you know what you needs and wants are, and you know how much you can afford to spend, it still isn't time to look at houses. Think about this ..if you found the perfect house for you but the neighborhood wasn't to your liking, would you make an offer? Now is the time to step back consider the larger picture. People don't just buy a house; they buy the neighborhood the house is in.
Now, you will
need to make another list. What type of neighborhood do you want to live
in? You will most likely want to consider things like how will this area
affect your drive time to and from work, how close are the schools, shopping,
churches, etc. You may even want to make two lists just as you did with
your home criteria.
Your Realtor
experience in the local real estate market will be an invaluable resource
by helping 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.
2004 ChrisCosco.com . All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties subject to prior sale or rental. Questions and comments should be sent to ChrisCosco.com