Where Do You Begin Your Home Search?

I hear a lot of first time buyers telling me I do not know where to start when looking for a home. I recommend that they find a Realtor that they are comfortable with first. There are many questions you are going to have when it comes to purchasing a home. Call and talk to Realtors until you find one that you are comfortable with.
A good Realtor should be asking you a lot of questions. It almost is like a reverse interview process. You want to make sure you find one that is a good fit for you. However; you need to be sure that they are asking you the right questions so that you can find and purchase the right home for you and your family.
I spend at a minimum of 30 minutes to an hour educating a buyer on the process involved and what they can expect from me as their realtor and what I ask of them. For me I believe it is an educational meeting. You need to let the buyer know exactly where you stand and what you can offer them and are willing to do
Recently I spoke to two different buyers who had previously spoken to other real Estate agents about purchasing their first home. I was shocked at the lack of information they received and one came right out and said that I asked and gave them more information in our 30 minute plus phone conversation than he received in the month and half he was dealing with the Realtor. Fortunately, the Realtor did not ask them to sign a buyers agency agreement with them.
The other one was told by the realtor that she could not get approved for a loan based on the information she provided him. Though the information was correct he never informed her to call a mortgage broker to see if she could qualify or what she needed to do to qualify for a mortgage. A brief conversation on the why it is important to talk to a mortgage broker and a phone call later I was e-mailed a pre-approval letter for her.
The key here is to know that you do this on average once every seven to eight years. We do this on a daily basis. Yes, you should be interviewing the Realtor to see if it’s a good fit but the Realtor should be education you as to the process and expectations in buying a home.

Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com