My husband and I were looking all weekend at coops (just to get ideas). It is very exciting, and now I want to dive into this process. What is the first step??? Do we need to meet with a realtor? How do we choose one? I know we need to figure out what we can afford (what we are pre-approved for). I am a bit nervous. Any advice???
Sasha96
Posted:
Member since
Re: first weekend shopping for a home!
You should get pre-approved as soon as you are ready to look to buy. That should be one of your first steps. It seems like you know what kind of a home you want and you should know where you would like it. Good luck, the home buying process is a roller coaster of a process!
Karen H
Posted:
Member since
Re: first weekend shopping for a home!
We picked a general area that we were considering, and made an appointment to meet with someone at a real estate office (just picked one cold - we did not have anyone able to give us recommendations).
The agent arranged for us to meet with a mortgage broker they work with, to do a pre-approval to determine what price range we could afford. Some people advise against this because the agent knows what you can afford and could push to the limit. You could do the same at your bank and determine what figure you want to give your agent as far as your price range.
We met with different agents in a few areas, and settle on one south shore and one north shore. You may have to sign something that says you've seen certain houses with a given agent and cannot purchase without her getting a commission - this protects them from having you go direct to the seller or the listing office to try to negotiate a better deal.
If you don't like an agent, don't stick with them. Some are better than others about listening to what is on your 'must have' list and understanding your taste. They will be best at knowing when something new on the market is just right for you. If you don't find the right agent at first, try again with others.
