When Do You Contact A Realtor For Buying A House?

All of the studies that we read say that over 90% of homebuyers begin their search for a home online....When do you contact a Realtor? When is the right time to contact a Realtor? These are questions asked each day..... I talk to various home buyers online that say I am a month away and others who say I am six months or more away...but I always get the same question..."should we be talking now or closer to buying?" Now ther is no magic time frame on when to contact a Realtor. Some prefer to do it in the beginning of the process. A time when they have decided to consider looking for homes, not sure what is out there and have no particular time frame in mind for buying. For some this is the optimal time to contact Realtors and see which ones work best for them....Not all Realtors are the same. Sometimes finding one that works best with you takes a few different meetings with different ones. A Realtor can help you narrow areas and homes for you so you are not spending hours looking through various websites for homes and give you a better understanding of the processes and time frames needed to find and close on a home. Others prefer to do the intial research online then contact a Realtor when they have narrowed down what they want in a home. I know when my wife and I was looking for a home last time we had a list of what we wanted and a budget we wanted to look in...Then we went out and visited open houses and drove by neighborhoods. Doing this we eliminated areas and homes. Once we decided on what we knew we wanted in a home we contacted a Realtor to help us out (yes I was not in the business back then). Still others prefer to do all the research online and then contact a Realtor when they have narrowed down their selection and know what exactly they want...This way they feel they have done all the necessary work and made a descision that is best for them. Is there a wrong time to contact a Realtor? NO. Is there a right time to contact a realtor? NO. It depends on you. As a Realtor I have dealt with professionals and families in all spectrums of the home buying process and each person is different and thus their needs and wants from a Realtor vary... But, contacting a Realtor will help give you insight into homes and areas. In addition a Realtor can direct you to various websites for a variety of information that may be helpful in your home search when certain factors are important.....i.e. schools, crime rates, public transportation, convience to shopping, commute to work. Whether you are at the beginning, the middle or the end of the looking process there is never a bad time to contact a Realtor...We are here to help you. I strive to make the home buying experience one of great joy and ease for home buyers. I beleive in treating each individual as I would want to be treated in the process; regardless of where they are in it....... Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker www.davedicecco.com .