Lizzy Corvello- Realtor

Finding the right agent is really important. Many agents don’t have the time or patience to work with someone that may be months or years away from being ready. Meet with and get a feeling for multiple agents before you make a decision on one that feels right. An agent should be a good communicator, help problem solve, be resourceful and should help you stay within your goals for budget- not push you outside of it.

This is the most important part of success- setting realistic goals and expectations. If we are working with a smaller budget, we need to set that expectation upfront. Meeting with your team in advance will also help us if credit repair is needed, more downpayment savings is needed, if we need to plan to look at homes that may offer credits toward closing costs etc. There is so much information we can sort through and work with that will help us in this stage.

Signing a Buyer Representation Agreement is a very important step in this process as it will allow an agent to work on your behalf both in showing homes, but also in obtaining more information about the property and also will allow an agent to work on your behalf to writing an offer and work toward getting an offer accepted. The agreement lasts up to three months and terms will be based upon mutual agreement by all parties to the agreement. I am happy to explain this form in more detail when we have a buyer consultation.

Price may be a big factor here- because if your heart is set on a certain neighborhood that is just out of your price point- it may just be a matter of building up your downpayment in order to be able to afford that neighborhood. It is important to peruse neighborhoods at different times of the day/evening and learn about traffic and potential nuisances. You may learn that you don’t love the floorpan of homes in a neighborhood you previously thought you liked. Take your time, the one thing we can’t change about a home is it’s location.

So, you’re looking for a home, and I know, you want it to be perfect. But, not every budget will allow for perfect, and even if it did, can you believe they painted that wall GREEN??? So, if you can afford it, the 80/10/10 rule is a great principal to go by- a home that is 80% great, 10% that can be changed over time and 10% that you can live with. Can’t live with the freeway behind the house? NO WORRIES. Ok with changing out the wallpaper in the dining room? SWEET! Focus on the most important things that cannot be changed- the neighborhood, proximity to amenities, floorplan and how much work the house needs. Tell us when a house is a “NO” and why!I love that feedback just as much as a “yes” because that helps me get one step closer to finding the right home for you.