Purchasing Guide

Unless you are wanting to simply dip your toes into the experience of seeing homes, you will want to work with your real estate broker to select the best homes to see.  Use a strategy to save time by scheduling private showings in the order that makes the most logistical sense.  For example, go to the home which is furthest from you first and then see the next home that heads back into your home direction, and then a third home which is even closer to your current home.  

Be organized and take down notes for every home you see.  If you end up seeing upwards of ten homes in your search, you may easily confuse properties and mix them together.  A good real estate broker will have clipboards for you with paper and pen to make notes for you to keep.  

Use your real estate broker as a sounding board when you go see homes.  Talk about what you see and how it may or may not align with your real estate goals. Your broker has knowledge and expertise you can rely on to make observations about the home you may not be trained to see. That is part of their real estate services. 

If you are in an intense seller's market, you may be forced to decide upon a home within days.  This can be a stressful way to see homes, but it has been the reality for several years.  If a home seems to check off all your wants and needs and feels like the perfect home, you will want to put together an offer as soon as you can, but before you do, make sure you've done as much due diligence as possible to know, without a doubt, that you'd like to compete to purchase the home.