subject: How to Make Sure You Get Your Dream Home [print this page] How to Make Sure You Get Your Dream Home How to Make Sure You Get Your Dream Home
With the housing market full of foreclosures and short sales, it can be a great time to be in the market for a new home. However, particularly in certain areas, it can be a real hassle to be able to make a bid on a home and walk away with a new purchase.
Due to the low costs of real estate in the US at present, it can be a matter of first come-first won for many prospective home buyers. Unfortunately, many buyers who are looking for a good deal on a house to live in have to compete with developers, home flippers, and speculators. In areas of the country that have less real estate inventory, this problem is even more pronounced. There are, however, some ways that you can help the process along; even if you want to buy in an area that has few homes available.
One way that you can get a jump on other buyers is by informing your buyer's agent that you want to know about properties as soon as they go on the market. Often, a successful buyer will be the one who gets their offer in first, before other prospective buyers have a chance to look at the home.
Another great way to get home sellers more interested in your offer is to go to your lender and get pre-approved for a home loan. Sellers do not want to wait around for buyers to get authorized for a loan after they make an offer, so cut the time shorter and ensure that your financing is settled before you make offers on any homes. The best way to know what your financial restrictions are is to have your financing pre-approved too.
Sellers also do not want to have offers restricted with a bunch of conditions. If you need to sell your home before you can buy the new one you want, be aware that the sellers are unlikely to wait around for you to do that if they can get an offer that does not hinge on waiting for someone to buy the buyer's home. It is best of the only condition of an offer is the one that says that your purchase is conditional on the inspection of the home in question; anything more can cause your offer to be overlooked.
In short, the more flexible that you can be as a buyer and the more generous that you can be with your offer, the more likely that your offer will be taken seriously. Also, be aware that it is taking home buyers longer to purchase a home now than a few years ago, so you may need to be patient while you are in the market for a new home.
