How much time to look for a house

[Roadrunner]

---

Members don't see this ad.

How much time do you think is needed in a new city to look for a house to buy? My wife and I are going to take a week to go look and hope to find something we like enough to make an offer on. With airfare and hotel costs we can't afford to spend much more time than that. For those current residents who moved to a new city how much time did you take to look and was it enough?

 

[mshheaddoc]

You can do alot of research on the web using relator sites. We found our house in 2 days. Then again, I had already a list of houses that I wanted to look at. If you have an idea for an area that you want to live and do your research it is feasible. It also depends on the market you are looking at. Some houses go pretty quick although most markets are slowing down.

If you do some searches using yahoo/google and look at crime rates, etc then you can narrow down areas. You can also try to find a relator to help.

 

[APACHE3]

Use realtor.com Very useful site to get started. I'll PM you with some more info. I just bought a house and can give you a few pointers. 😀

 

[PalCareGrl]

Along the same lines - does anyone have any book or other resource information for first time home buyers? My SO and I are looking, but since we don't have much time, we'll probably rent for 6mo-1yr before buying... but I'm a book person and I like to do a lot of reading first...

Any 1st hand info would be appreciated too! 😀

 

[Solideliquid]

Along the same lines - does anyone have any book or other resource information for first time home buyers? My SO and I are looking, but since we don't have much time, we'll probably rent for 6mo-1yr before buying... but I'm a book person and I like to do a lot of reading first...

Any 1st hand info would be appreciated too! 😀

I am in the same situation, we can't really take the time right now to go down to Georgia from Los Angeles to look around. The wife on the other hand wants to look at a few neighborhoods before committing so most likely we'll have to rent an apartment for 6 months and then move.

God, I want my own driveway, and maybe a garage!

 

[surg]

Personally, I found Tips and Traps When Buying a Home by Robert Irwin to be a good starter book. It contains the essentials and will keep you out of trouble as much as a general book can.

As to how long it takes to find a home, it depends on what the market is like where you are going. Each time that I have needed to buy I have made 2 trips, one to scout out neighborhoods, and the other to make offers. When buying long distance, touching base with a local realtor can be very helpful as well as they know the markets well.

Realize that everyone and their sister seems to have their real estate license now (I think someone told me that something like 1 of 9 adults in California have a real estate license), so make sure you find someone who has some experience or at least has a senior partner to lean on for advice since you won't be there to ride herd on them.

If you are more of a do-it-yourself kind of person, I have found ZipRealty to be a good resource as their website is one of the best layouts in terms of allowing you to choose neighborhoods, etc. for the areas that they cover. Also, as a bonus they offer 20% rebates on their commission if you use them to handle the buying side. There are also other discount brokerages in other areas that may do similar things, but Zip is the only one that I know off the top of my head that coverages a good section of the country so I mention it here. I don't work for them or have any financial interest in them, just a person who had a good experience. Your mileage may vary.

 

[APACHE3]

Hey, I',m flattered that I'm getting so many PM about house tips. I have misspoken. I'm definately not a housing guru. I did just buy so I can relay a little of what to expect, but many others were getting bette rates, and seemed to know much more. Go to the mortgage sticky. Its very informative. GL

 

[earwig]

I Googled it by typing the name of the city and "real estate". It gave me many choices of the rental and sale property.

 

[meri222]

Home Buying seems very scary, but with a little reading, and some background info....it can go smoothly. I just went to MN with my boyfriend this past weekend, and we found a house in about three days. We arrived on Friday at 4pm, and then we left on Monday 2:30pm. We made a decision on Sunday, and firmed things up on Monday.

They key is to be prepared in advance. Talk to residents and ask around about "good" real estate agents. The agent is your ticket to a good home. It is hard to know if your agent is going to be a good advocate for you (and that is what you want), so try to get someone who has strong recommendations. Secondly, do your leg work ahead of time. Realtor.com is a great site....but you can go on many realty sites. Pick a bunch of houses ahead of time, send them to your agent, and make sure you know what you are looking for. Your agent should really be flexible to your schedule if they are good. They should know your price range, stick to it, and drive you around looking at places. You also want them to be honest and look with a critical eye at the houses in case you aren't asking the right questions.

To know the right questions, do your research! There are a tons of books at the library. A good one to start with (although you might need more detailed books later) is Home Buying for Dummies. Everything will be much smoother if you are calling the shots rather than your realtor.

Good luck! It is an exciting time.....and the worse case scenario is that you have to rent for a little while.

 

[braxtonhicks]

I am doing a Midwest to Baltimore home-buying trip over 4 days. I previously knew absolutely nothing about Baltimore. Because I have a school-age child, I first researched schools and narrowed down where I wanted to live by the schools. I then picked out some properties of interest and met with a realtor from the first day. We saw at least 10 places/day. I also saw one rental property just in case I couldn't find a place to buy. We drove around different areas every morning and then met with the realtor at 3pm daily, looking at places we were interested in.

My advice is to make sure you stay in a hotel with wireless internet access and bring your laptop (if you have one). Every night I after seeing what was available and what areas I liked most, I would refine my search. Sure, the realtor is supposed to be doing that, but I've been surprised at the places I have found that she hasn't. We also drove around areas and looked for FSBO homes. Realtor.com is good for researching homes prior to the visit.

Bottom line - I think it can be done in 4 days. I've decided not to be ultra-picky and am treating it like a rank list with a first choice, second choice, etc. If my first offer doesn't get accepted, I'll try the second, etc.