How to avoid an endless house hunt

also interview your agent and ask about education and references..it pays off !

All these tips sound great.  But as a Realtor, most first time buyers have no idea what they are looking for and need to see a few houses to determine that.  The more you see the more you know.  I have had many say, no main street or must have a garage and that all goes by the wayside when they see the inside of a house they fall in love with.  Also, the time frame thing - unrealistic.  Expecially if you put in an offer on a short sale, it could take months.   And financing - harldy ever done by the time specified on the contract.  Always extensions.  The banks always need one more peice of paper signed.  the whole process requires and open mind and patients.   The first and most important thing to do, so as not to waste your time or a Realtors time is get prequalified to see how much you can afford and if the bank qualifies you higher than you want to go, then you set your own price limits.  ZipRealty

Ouch John Smith - someone's been burned!

 

I agree with "JohnSmith9875".....​.We've worked with 4 real estate agents, and none of them seem to know what their doing!  They send "new" listings of houses I've already seen on the market 6 months prior.  They send house listings that we've told them we're NOT interested in THAT type of house.  They seem to think that we are 'stupid buyers' that will accept any old piece of crap that they send our way(?!)  As if they are trying to "unload" the houses that they can't sell, hoping we'll be naive enough to take the bait.  We've explained IN DETAIL the exact house we're looking for, the style, the look, the "feel" of the house and they just don't "get it".  So either they are incompetent or they are sending "their" tastes and not understanding what ours are.  We've had it with them and are on our own now, and much happier i might add!!  ....OH, and the scam we keep seeing among seller's agents is:  You'll go to see a house that's been on the market awhile.  They tell you right away that "there has been an offer and interest in the house, and that if you're interested, you should put in an offer right away!".  This is more often a ploy to get you to panic and think you have to act quick. Several times this has happened, and the house was still on the market months later (each time the agent insisted the "other interested party" already made an offer and could go into contract by the next day!).  I think this ploy serves 2 things....1) to push you into making a hasty decision, and 2)  to think there is someone else interested (so that there would be little room for negotiation and getting them to lower the price).  You're not going to give a lowball price, if you think there is someone else interested who made an offer aready, right?!  The problem is, there is no way to find out if what they are saying is true.  This has happened to us MORE than a few times, and each time, the house was STILL on the market months later.  I think there are a lot of unethical and incompetent agents out there, that are polluting the market.

I deal with first time home buyers all the time that pass up perfectly sound, well built homes because of the colors the rooms are painted or they get hung up on the way the furniture is arranged or the kind of furnishings that's in it.  The home has everything else they want (big fenced in backyard, good schools, number of bedrooms etc.). Since it has become a buyers market, no one wants to put any kind of sweat equity into a house to make it their own--they want to move in and be done--and they want it for practically nothing.  They don't realize that you'll pay more for the perfect home. It's a sad but true fact that your first home is almost never your dream home and you'll be required to paint and redecorate if not remodel to achieve the house you've always dreamed of. Knowing this going in would save potential buyers a lot of grief and exasperation.

Just don't move to Lansing or Detroit and you'll do just fine. Still some parts of Detroit aren't all that bad. Besides, in Michigan, you can get this thing called a Concealed Pistol License.

 

Oh and cost of living is almost nothing now... You can get a really nice, 3 bedroom home, move in condition for $50,000 and at least 1200 sq ft. Heck... I saw a place with an acre, 5 bedroom, 3 bath, 2 story, 2700sq ft for $37,000!

Maybe it's a busy road nearby, a long commute or no sidewalks or nearby parks. These are often things that can't be changed.

An updated kitchen, say, or hardwood floors. Maybe a move-in-ready house. Items that you can acknowledge are wants, not needs. These may be things that can easily be added after you move in.