Buying and Selling a home can start online, but avoid pitfalls (art by Steve Woods)
When I spent $19.99 to buy the new Dave Ramsey book, I was not really to worried. But spending $199,000 to buy a house is a different thing.
A recent U.S. News & World Report article, “5 Top Blunder of Internet Home Buying“, highlighted some key pitfalls that home buyers make when they “buy” a house online.
Using the Internet to window shop is a great thing, but there is nothing that feels better than getting in those doors and making sure you’ve got a quality product on your hands – whether for your personal residence or an investment.
There a handful of key items to keep in mind when searching for a home online:
- Search For An Agent & A House. Searching for a real estate agent may be about as exciting as watching paint dry. However, if you find your dream house and can’t purchase it because the agent is not putting your needs first – you’ll wish you had. I recently picked up a new client from a “major agent” in the Central Ohio area, my buyer said “She was really nice and said all the right things, but only sent me her husband’s listings and would not listen to what I wanted.” We have her going out to look at the houses she wants on Sunday. Buying a house is simple if you have the right person in your corner.
- Blend Your Options. Once you’ve selected an agent is when the fun really should begin. Your agent will be assisting you in finding a home for sale – so when you are searching the Internet in the wee-hours of the morning it will be doubling your efforts to find a home. Your agent is helping you, see No. 1.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, however … I have a buyer that likes to e-mail me “what is wrong with {address}?” You see there are four constant factors in real estate: price, location, size, and condition. You can say “I want” to three of these items, but usually not all four. But, with today’s housing market, you never know, so make sure to ask your agent.
- Pictures Can Say a Thousand Words, But Are They Yours? Every photograph used to advertise a home is done with one thing in mind: make you want to buy the house. On a “good listing” have you seen pictures of that dingy basement? Or the crack in the wall? Nope. You see the beautiful view from the upstairs hole in the wall that needs a window. Houses are like people, some photograph better than others.
With 87 percent* of home buyers reporting that they begin the home search online, hopefully these will help you become a stronger buyer.
* – According to 2008 National Association of REALTORS study.
Art by Steve Woods and used with permission.
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Sadie Lynn is the Boxer of Toby Boyce, a REALTOR with Keller Williams Consultants Realty, and Mrs. Toby. Sadie has been hearing more than she can take about real estate and Delaware since Toby became an agent in July. So, she decided to take into her own hands and created this site to share her new knowledge. Enjoy, my take on Delaware, Ohio and real estate as a general. 
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