Real Estate Search Direct

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Take Homer Buyer’s story, for example.  Homer was preparing to buy his first home.  He and his fiancée, Ivana Newhouse, plan to move in when they marry.

Homer found the perfect house and then he went to apply for a loan.  Homer had already discussed the loan over the phone with his mortgage broker, and the broker said he was sure Homer could qualify based on the information Homer had given him.

But when Homer went to meet the mortgage broker to fill out the loan application, he was in for a surprise.  More…

Comments (7) Feb 17 2009

Last time you went to look at a property did you bring your home inspection checklist?

You’re thinking you want a professional home inspector to inspect a home before you buy it, aren’t you?

Homer Buyer thought the same way.  He didn’t feel qualified to do a full home inspection and he wanted a professional opinion on the condition of the home.

When Homer was looking for properties he saw many that were interesting, but was having a hard time choosing one.  He kept looking at homes and after a while, he couldn’t really remember the details.

He thought, “Was the one on Main Street the one with the built in barbecue in the back yard?  Or was that the one on Elm?”

So Homer kept looking and then he came across one that really stood out from the rest.  It had everything that Homer wanted.  It had a beautiful master suite, a nice view of the valley, and magnificent landscaping around a pool in the back yard.

When the seller’s agent showed Homer the property, he was enchanted with the place.  He just had to have this house.  The agent noted how infatuated Homer was and told his client to hold out for more money.

Homer made an offer for the full list price.  The client had listed the property at market value as determined by comparable sales, but the agent advised him to ask for more.

The seller countered Homer’s offer with a price $10,000.00 higher.  Homer accepted the counter offer, afraid that he might lose the house if he countered with a lower price.

When Homer had the house inspected, he found out that the roof needed repair and the foundation was cracked.  Homer didn’t have any idea what the repairs would cost.

Following the advice of his real estate agent, Homer asked the seller for $11,000 repair credit, but the seller countered his offer with $3,500 repair credit.  Homer was almost ready to accept the deal, but  Read More

Comments (1) Feb 08 2009

Are you ready to make a commitment? Looking at engagement rings? Or houses?

Homer Buyer made a commitment to himself to become a homeowner in the same year he made his commitment to his fiancée, Ivana Newhouse.

In early 2008 Homer was still in his final year of grad school.  He was already committed to buying a house when he graduated, but he felt that he would be missing something to make his house a home.

He had been dating Ivana Newhouse for almost a year and he wanted to share the rest of his life with her.

Homer spent a good part of January looking at engagement rings.  He wanted something perfect for his lovely Ivana.  He was so nervous that she might not accept a proposal.

Homer was usually pretty decisive, but he vacillated on what to buy Ivana.  Valentine’s Day was quickly approaching and Homer wanted to make it something special for her.

He had asked her what her ring size was, so he knew she was expecting a ring.  Still, he wanted to surprise her.

When Valentine’s Day came,Homer planned a nice dinner at Ivana’s favorite restaurant.  After they finished their dinner and were waiting for dessert, Homer pulled a ring out of his shirt pocket.  It was a plain silver ring with a heart shape.

Ivana looked slightly disappointed, but more curious about what was attached to the ring.

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Comments (1) Feb 05 2009

In these troubled times, buying a home is more complicated than ever. So where do you start when buying a house?

Homer Buyer was eager to begin his search for a home.  He had started planning to buy a home while he was still in graduate school. Now that he had a job and a decent income, he wanted to be a homeowner.

Homer started his search by looking in the newspaper classified ads and searching online for homes for sale. Homer saw many homes that looked interesting to him. He was judging mostly by location and appearance.

Homer had no idea how much room he needed or what amenities he needed. He had never bought a home before and he hadn’t really thought about what would be involved.

Homer was quickly overwhelmed by all the choices to sort through: Mobile Homes, Condominiums, Town Houses, Single Family Residence, Single Family Attached, Co-op. This was just the broadest of classifications. There were multitudes of options within each of these types.

There were houses with anywhere from 0 bedrooms to 5 bedrooms and 1 bathroom to 6.5 bathrooms. “What the heck is half a bathroom anyways?” Homer wondered?

There were some with a carport and others with 3 car garage. Air conditioning, central heating, swimming pool, basement… The list went on and on.

Homer wondered how he would ever figure out what property to buy. Then there was the matter of price. Homer knew how much he was paying for rent, should he use this amount to figure out what he could afford to buy? How did it relate to a house payment?

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Comments (2) Jan 31 2009

If you are reading the classified ads looking to buy a house, you are probably familiar with the term FSBO (For Sale By Owner).  Should you buy a FSBO?

Homer Buyer thought that he would be able to buy a home at a better price if he bought a FSBO.  He figured that if the seller didn’t have to pay a real estate broker’s commissions, he could pass some of the savings on to the buyer.

Homer bought a local paper and started searching the classified ads.  He saw many that were listed with an agent or broker, but he skimmed over them.  He was searching for those listings that contained the magic letters – “FSBO”.

Homer found several listings in the paper. He noticed there was a wider selection of homes in the ads that he skipped than there were FSBOs.  He also saw that the ads for those listed by a broker were usually more descriptive and sometimes even had photographs.

He started calling on ads labeled “FSBO”.  He frequently got answering machines and sometimes no answer at all.  The seller was probably at work.  He did reach one little girl who told him only that “Mommy is sleeping,” and asked “Do you like cookies?”  Homer decided to try again in the evening.

That evening, Homer reached a few more of the FSBO sellers.  The first man, when he said he was calling about the ad in the paper, asked gruffly “Are you an agent?”

“I am interested in buying your house,” Homer replied.  The seller explained that he had been getting calls from agents trying to get his listing ever since he put the ad in the paper.  He asked Homer if he could come over right away to look at the house.

Homer still had several calls to make and he planned to take Saturday to look at several properties at once.  Besides, he wanted some time to research the properties before he met the seller.  He knew that he needed to be prepared to negotiate.

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Comments (0) Jan 29 2009