Need tips to stay organized during a housing search? (Boston: houses, neighborhoods)

[Katezli]

Hello,

You all were so great in helping me think about where to live, I was hoping that you had some tips for me in staying organized while conducting my housing/town search.

As I posted previously, I am headed to Boston on Aug. 10 to look at towns/houses. During my visit, I am meeting with realtors in several areas to look at homes as I really can't choose what town to live in, until I know what our housing options would be in our price range in different towns. I am looking at an intense week and expect to see many different houses.

So my question: do any of you have suggestions as to how to stay organized during a housing search? More particularly, how to keep track of all of the different homes and my impressions of them. My fear is that at the end of the week, it will all be one big blur! I have a few ideas-- taking notes, etc. but I would love to hear from some people who have recently done housing searches. What helped you to keep everything straight? Did you take notes, take pictures, what specifically did you do? Keep in mind I am very sleep-deprived mama so anything you can offer to help would be great!

Thanks again!

[puffle]

Originally Posted by Katezli

Hello,

You all were so great in helping me think about where to live, I was hoping that you had some tips for me in staying organized while conducting my housing/town search.

As I posted previously, I am headed to Boston on Aug. 10 to look at towns/houses. During my visit, I am meeting with realtors in several areas to look at homes as I really can't choose what town to live in, until I know what our housing options would be in our price range in different towns. I am looking at an intense week and expect to see many different houses.

So my question: do any of you have suggestions as to how to stay organized during a housing search? More particularly, how to keep track of all of the different homes and my impressions of them. My fear is that at the end of the week, it will all be one big blur! I have a few ideas-- taking notes, etc. but I would love to hear from some people who have recently done housing searches. What helped you to keep everything straight? Did you take notes, take pictures, what specifically did you do? Keep in mind I am very sleep-deprived mama so anything you can offer to help would be great!

Thanks again!

This may seem anal, but I would organize each day as to the realtor you will see and the areas you will cover. Then give your impressions on each one. If you have a cell with a camera you can quickly download pics to your home files. Also, if a home as a brochure, keep it and take notes. It is easier if you organize day by day in advance. Your realtor most likely has an itinerary for each day, so talk to her in advance to find out where. A Blackberry is another way to go. At the end of the day, when things are still fresh, go over your notes and impressions and highlight those that stand out and why. Just a suggestion. Go back to the places you liked early morning and in the evening to see how traffic is,etc.

[GreenMachine]

You might want to carry a tape recorder with you to record your impressions of the different neighborhoods. When you play back your own voice, you'll get hit with a big, "Oh, yeah, that's right..."

greenmachine

[scarletfire]

I used a combo of these: photo of the exterior of each house along with initial thoughts on that property, accompanied with tape recording. Plus share lots of honest feedback with the buyer's agents you're working with and hopefully they will be able to help you keep track of things. Ours had some good advice: when leaving a house, decide if that house should be put in the yes, no, or maybe category. That way if it's a definite no you can easily discard it from the list and hopefully concentrate on the possible good ones and the features of those.

[Valerie C]

Speaking as a Realtor myself, here is what I tell my clients and customers:

It's very important that you ask each agent to provide you with a detailed Listing Sheet (including pictures) for each home that you're seeing. Write detailed notes to yourself on each, good and bad points that you notice inside the house, in the yard, and the neighborhood. Rate each one immediately after as YES, NO, or MAYBE. In pen. On the front.

Since you're seeing a number of agents on your search, I'm going to assume that you're seeing each home with its Listing Agent. Keep in mind that the Listing Agent is representing THE SELLER, and is legally contracted with them to 1) get the highest possible price for that home 2) to share any and all information with the Seller that YOU share with them. Don't give away too much information.

If they want a pre-approval letter, consider getting letters in $25,000, or even $10,000 increments. You'd have more of a chance of having an offer accepted if the Seller and their agent do not know that you really COULD spend more on a home.

Remember that you are entitled to representation of your own with a Buyer's Agent, and it doesn't cost you anything. The Seller's Agent owes you honesty and fair dealing; but if you chose to have a Buyer's Agent, they owe you fiduciary duty, confidentiality, obedience (within the law) and more.

[NY'er lost in MA]

Hi Katezli,

I would actually recommend NOT using multiple agents. As mentioned by Valerie, you'll most likely be dealing with listing agents that only care about the seller. It also is a major pain trying to deal with multiple agents, phone numbers, if they are running late- coordinating with your next appointment etc. The logistics of it are tough.

Then say you find a place you like, but hate the agent...good luck working that deal out.

I did 100% of my research online: towns, schools, commute scenarios, even photos. I selected about 5-7 towns that might work out for my wife and I. I then scouted them out and immediately ruled out 2-3, so we were left with 3-4 areas that could work 'on paper'. I then set up an automatic email to be sent when new listings came up in those areas. We attended several open houses and had lunch in each of the 4 towns. We eventually got it down to 3 towns- now it was just timing and waiting for the right property. I took tons of photos. I even did trial run commutes.

I used an Internet brokerage called Redfin. We did all the research and found a place on our own. We did a drive by, and the neighborhood was excellent. We set up a showing and made an offer that same day via the Redfin website. Everything was automated and after closing we got a large chuck of $$$$ back for using their service.

My best advice is to trust your own instincts. Dealing with so many agents will end up being a huge waste of time and aggravating in the end.

I am very organized and do similar tasks during the day for my employer. If you are Internet savvy, then you should be in great shape.

Feel free to PM me if you have further questions.

[scarletfire]

I had assumed you were working with different buyer's agents because you're looking for a home in more than one area. Most agents cover multiple towns in a region (north shore, south shore, metrowest, Boston/Cambridge/Somerville) but if you're looking in more than one of these "regions" it's unlikely you'd find one agent who knows all of those areas very well so I imagine that makes sense. The most important thing I think is finding someone who will help you get to know the area and not be at all pushy, because their job is to act in your best interest and help you make a decision that's right for your family.

I hope you enjoy your trip! :-)

[Valerie C]

Here's where things get tricky...
a buyer agency is formed by the signature of a contract, specifically hiring ONE agent to work for you. If you are thinking of hiring multiple buyer-agents, you would need to specifically state in the contract which town(s) that agent is hired to show property in, and for a specific length of time (a day, a week, a month...). The next-best situation is to hire someone from each area to be a Facilitator (neutral 3rd party to show properties) which can be changed to a Buyer-Agency if you both so choose. Your Buyer Agent (or facilitator) should be familiar with the areas you are searching, and you should also feel comfortable working with them.

As Scarlet says, it's their job to help you to get to know the area and make a good decision; however they are not volunteers who have all the resources in the world to pay for gas, their time, etc. A little honesty goes a long way...

And yes, above all, enjoy your trip

Originally Posted by scarletfire

I had assumed you were working with different buyer's agents because you're looking for a home in more than one area. Most agents cover multiple towns in a region (north shore, south shore, metrowest, Boston/Cambridge/Somerville) but if you're looking in more than one of these "regions" it's unlikely you'd find one agent who knows all of those areas very well so I imagine that makes sense. The most important thing I think is finding someone who will help you get to know the area and not be at all pushy, because their job is to act in your best interest and help you make a decision that's right for your family.

I hope you enjoy your trip! :-)

[Katezli]

Thanks so much! These are excellent suggestions. I really like the idea of before I leave a property writing 'yes', 'no', or 'maybe'. I am not a very decisive person, so this will be a good discipline for me.

Also, I think I am going to do as you all suggested and take a little time after each property to write a few notes, and maybe some tape recording as well. I also will try to make sure to get a full listing from each person. I was thinking of storing them all in a 3-ring binder by town and category.

To clarify, I would much prefer to work with just one realtor. However, for the top 3 towns I am considering, Natick, Arlington, and Newton, the realtors that I am working with (all recommended by friends) have each said that they do not have enough specific knowledge of the other towns that I am interested in and that I should find someone else to show me listings in the other towns. For what it is worth, each has said that no realtor can really be familiar with many towns or a whole region (north shore, metro west, etc) and that the best realtors will be honest about their area of expertise and their limitations. In turn, I have been totally upfront about my situation as I do not want to mislead anyone. They each know that I am looking into these three towns and that I am, on their own recommendation, working with different realtors for each of these towns. I am not working with listing agents, but I appreciate your wise warning in this regard, Valerie.

Thanks again for the tips everyone-- I am sure they will be helpful for others searching as well.

[Katezli]

Originally Posted by Valerie C

If they want a pre-approval letter, consider getting letters in $25,000, or even $10,000 increments. You'd have more of a chance of having an offer accepted if the Seller and their agent do not know that you really COULD spend more on a home.

Thanks Valerie, this is a good tip. One question: Is there any risk though if, for instance, I give them a pre-approval letter for $450K, for a home that is $445K, they will think I am not as good a candidate because I am cutting things to close?