The Home Search

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Finally, we’re talking about actually looking at homes!

Based on the thorough assessment of your needs, both negotiable and non-negotiable, your agent can get to work on searching your local market for suitable homes for you. When you’re ready to view the homes, keep a few things in mind:

• Scheduling appointments to show a home can take some time so please be patient and allow plenty of time!  In some areas, local custom dictates how showings are handled.  In Atlanta, for instance, since agents cover such a large range of geography and the traffic is usually a nightmare during business hours, it seems to have evolved into a system where lockboxes are used extensively and the showing agent doesn’t even have to schedule a showing – they call the owner to see if they can come in!  In our market, we must call the listing agent (unless directed otherwise in the MLS) to schedule a showing each and every time we show a property.
• Not all homes are vacant or on lockbox.
• Your agent must first contact each listing agent to check on availability, get permission and instructions to show.
• In some cases, that listing agent might have to contact the homeowners or tenants and get back to your agent.
• Sometimes, agents are not immediately available and your agent may have to wait a few minutes to several hours for that agent to return phone calls.
• Sometimes, the listing agent may never return the call. Yes, there are those agents who simply never call back!
• Sometimes, the home may be under contract – the listing agent just failed to make note of that in the MLS.
• Remember that sometimes, especially on weekends, families may have something planned, houseguests may be visiting, etc. and the property is not available when it’s convenient for you. You must be flexible and once again, patient.

When you get ready to meet with your agent to view homes, be prepared.  Wear comfortable closing since you will be getting in and out of a car.  Wear comfortable shoes. It is a fact that your feet tire more when walking slowly – that’s why a day at a museum can hurt your feet and legs more than a day at the park! As with all marathon activities, stay hydrated! Bring water with you or let your agent know if you need to stop and get a drink somewhere.

And this next thing is rather of a delicate nature… if nature calls while you are viewing homes, make sure you ask the agent if you can use the bathroom in the house you may be in.  Do not simply go in and use the toilet!  Why?  Some houses may have the water shut off… this is required in homes owned by banks and relocation companies.  There may be a broken toilet in the house that tends to overflow.  You just don’t know.  Make sure you check with your agent or the listing agent if he/she is present.  Once again, NEVER just use the facilities in a house!  I know it’s a strange topic to be stressing here, but have you ever seen what an overflowing toilet left unattended can do to a vacant home?  Can  you imagine the water bill for a home when the toilet runs on and on and the owners don’t live there?  Have you ever smelled stuff left in a toilet because the toilet had been ‘winterized’ and wouldn’t flush?  I have.  Enough said.

When you are viewing homes, take notes. Jot down things you like and don’t like. You may want to rank the house after you view it.  If you are bringing a camera, let your agent know in advance so you can get permission from the home owners to take photographs of their home!  Some people are a little touchy about pictures of their personal property.

Viewing several homes in a row can often be disorienting and confusing. One house often blends into the next.

Ignore personal touches inside each home, both good or bad. I say good or bad because sometimes, if not careful, people fall in love with a home because of how it looks with the current owners’ furniture and accessories in place. Once they buy the house and move in, they fail to see the charm in the home now that the rooms are bare.

By that same token, don’t let paint color, tacky wallpaper or really bad furniture and clutter deter you from appreciating the finer qualities of that home. Focus on floorplan, the flow of traffic from one room to another, amount of light, the views, the size of each room, the condition of the home itself. Focus on what is important, the “bones” of the house, and look for the potential of the home with your personal touch. Remember, ugly furniture and clutter will leave with the current owners. Paint and wallpaper can easily be remedied…perhaps at the seller’s expense! Talk to your agent, that’s why you hired her… or him!