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No, looking at 20 homes is not unusual or unreasonable. If your realtor feels like it us, find a new realtor. (And the prior advice about filing out an online form to find a realtor - TERRIBLE ADVICE! )
I'd get an idea from a mortgage broker now, before you look at anymore houses on the MLS. I'd also ho well below whatever top number I qualified for, like 20% below.
WordKlass gave you very good advice in both her posts (except for the total negative on the corner lots. That's very regional and neighborhood specific. )
I'd add that if you're looking at SFR, drop 2 bedrooms from your possibilities. Get a 3 bedroom for easier resale (exceptions exist, but generally this holds true). Two story versus ranch shouid also eliminate homes (your preference ). Don't worry about wallpaper unless the home has tons if it.
Drive thru neighborhoods - better yet, walk them. I dropped neighbhoods that were flooded with children and that dropped my choices dramatically. Find neighbhoods that are visually appeaking to YOU and tyat 'feel right.'
It's subjective, I admit, but fir a first home, I'd be looking at well maintained homes less than ten years old. Especially is you are not good at fixing stuff.
(And the prior advice about filing out an online form to find a realtor - TERRIBLE ADVICE! )
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That's how I found mine and he was part of a large local real estate brokerage, he knew everything from local plants and trees to siding, what may have asbestos to what the name of the plank siding. He guided me thru the whole process and I closed at the end of March. I didn't know how else to find one and maybe I got lucky.
and when you say that someone's advice is terrible, you should offer your own advice on finding a realtor.
So, I've just bought was is hopefully my last home. In the past 5 years I've been in a new build, the second person in a new build, in a 100 year old house I remodeled, and now will be in a 1950's farmhouse that needs a few "updates". Here is what I've learned:
- The new build which wasn't part of a development that I rented in was nice, but had many issues I had to work out. However, the owners were willing to work with me. But, I would wake up at 2 am with a collapsing closet rod crashing down, etc. It also took a long time to get initial utilities hooked up and figure out fixes for problems that no one else had ever had.
- Be wary of moving into a new build. The new build I was in second had many issues. Many are built super crappy because in most states, by law the contractor for the development only has to build one "model home" and get it past inspection, and all the rest of the homes are assumed to be of "a reasonable and similar standard". Mine wasn't the model home, so it had wiring, carpentry, and even grading problems.
- Avoid, at all costs, any remodeling. I had a 6 month, low-cost project where I ended up having to fire the contractor on after 18 months and double the budget. Similar stories abound. The house looks nice now, but the cost isn't sustainable. Also, it turns out being on a corner (and on an alley and busy street), it is loud, and people were constantly walking by, chucking things into my trash, and throwing things into the yard. Hadn't thought as much about that as I should have.
- I now have a small farmhouse that needs new paint, pulled up carpet in a few rooms, and some asbestos removed (if it is Zonolite the WR Grace Trust in SC will pay 50% of the cost up to $5000 to remove). Nothing much. It is also a third of the price of other homes in the area. It had a hot tub but as part of the closing I required it be removed because it was old.
At any rate, after going through several homes, I would say look at what has potential, but stay away from anything more than what requires pulling up carpet, paint, cabinet faces & hardware, new countertop, and light fixtures. You can really do a LOT by changing these things, but beyond it, finding contractors and working with them is expensive and a pain.
Lastly, if you are looking for a deal, or want some wiggle room to negotiate for money to do the above things, your best bargaining tool is to hire a certified home inspector, and get them to do a thorough inspection of the entire home. I have done that both times, and then gotten estimates of what it would cost to fix wiring that isn't to code, or gutters that don't work, or a hail damaged roof, etc., and then had that taken off the price of the house. It is a really good investment.
That's how I found mine and he was part of a large local real estate brokerage, he knew everything from local plants and trees to siding, what may have asbestos to what the name of the plank siding. He guided me thru the whole process and I closed at the end of March. I didn't know how else to find one and maybe I got lucky.
and when you say that someone's advice is terrible, you should offer your own advice on finding a realtor.
You got very lucky and I'm glad. (I know you had a challenging search.)
There's tons of threads about how to find a good realtor. Briefly, ask for recommendations from co-workers, friends, trusted advisors (CPA, lawyer, hell, even your dentist), your current realtor (assuming he/she was good), your mortgage broker. Ask residents in the neighborhood you are targeting. Interview 3.
Just to reset the table because people are trying to be very helpful (thank you all), but I think missing my question:
I am able to make a long list of things I want in a house. But if I do, then I only have 2 homes to look at. Doing that would be silly -- I am well aware of that. Because I'd be losing out on great deals on homes that are maybe only slightly off (like, maybe it's five minutes further away from work but $50K less). But if I only go for what I need, then I have dozens upon dozens of homes. Even if I try for the middle ground, I have around 20 homes to look at. Is that too much? Would a realtor lose their patience with me? Or am I "doing it right"?
Once again, stop worrying about the realtor. If you want to look at 20, look at 20. Can't you tell from the online photos which ones you might be more interested in? Request to see a few of those and keep viewing homes until you're ready to buy something. It's very possible that you'll like something enough to buy before you see all 20 and it's also possible that you won't.
Quote:
Originally Posted by njquestions
I've been using Zillow. Is Redfin better?
I found the filters on Redfin easier to use and since I worked with a Redfin agent, it was very easy to set up appointments to see homes directly on the website.
Think about what you have loved and hated in the apartments you have lived in.
Things I like:
* Open Kitchen with lots of cabinet storage and countertops
* Laundry room (not in garage)
* Lots of storage
* 3 bedrooms / 2 baths
* 2 car garage
* Covered porch
* Single Story
* No wall to wall carpets
* Walk-in shower
Currently, if I wanted to only get the "perfect" home, I'd be like:
Not near busy streets
No significant costs for landscaping upkeep
Hardwood floors
Open-concept kitchen
Not too large
No wallpaper
Nothing that looks like it was from the '80s or '90s on the inside
Built within the last 5 years
No pool
3 BR/2+ baths
Minimum 2 car garage
No Jacuzzi (tons of homes from the '80s and '90s seem to have this)
But again, that leaves me with 1-2 homes in the area to look at.
Based on this, I'd remove the no wallpaper requirement which is probably the easiest to fix. Personally I also wouldn't worry about it having a jacuzzi either because worst case you just don't use it. And don't worry about things that "look like they're from the 80's or 90's" if they're inexpensive/easy to change.
That should probably cut your list of 30+ in half. But honestly for you to view 30+ listings online isn't a big deal. Many people look at hundreds or more. From looking at those online I'm sure you can rule out a bunch. I'd make sure to go the 1-2 that meet all the requirements you listed (assuming there wasn't something else in the listing that turned you off), but you can probably make it to 5-6 others in the same day if they're near the same location (speaking of which, overall the easiest way to reduce your search is to zero in on a specific location/neighborhood which you may or may not have already done).
A realtor taking you to 20 houses is not unreasonable, but it will take a few days. I'm not a realtor but I'd say after 20 or so they may start to get a little annoyed. But after a day or so looking with you a good one should be able to get a better feel for what you want and help you rule out some listings. Definitely don't feel like you need to buy something after spending a couple days with them unless you see something you really like. But before looking you probably want to at least get pre-approved from your bank or something (you can always use a different mortgage company later which you can find on your own or your agent can recommend).
We shopped for our last property for 2.5 yrs.
It's forth purchase so we learned quite a bit off our #1 and #2. Especially number 2. We lost a lot of money on it selling.
YOU DO NOT BUY A PROPERTY THAT IS LOWER THAN ANYTHING ELSE AROUND YOU. Anything. You WILL have water and mud and what not draining into your property from higher above, no matter what realtor will tell you.
Realtor has interest in SELLING you a house. So pay no attention to what they sugarcoat it with.
Other things we will NEVER do is:
close to power lines
close to any arterial
close to or on any intersection
close to a river or lake
close to any FWY
close to any housing projects
close to any mobile home parks
close to any junkyards, plants, garbage stations and landfills
in a city or busy town.
I actually like carpets, since I sit on the floor a lot (always have, ever since I was a kid, ha ha). I like hardwood floors, too. I think for me the main issue is the carpets have to be modern. Old carpeting or like shag carpets are terrible, but there are lots of carpets these days which look decent, IMO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoPhils
Based on this, I'd remove the no wallpaper requirement which is probably the easiest to fix. Personally I also wouldn't worry about it having a jacuzzi either because worst case you just don't use it. And don't worry about things that "look like they're from the 80's or 90's" if they're inexpensive/easy to change.
If I had a Jacuzzi, I'd rip it out. It's not going to come back into fashion in 10 years, lol, where buyers are like "ooo, a Jacuzzi!" It's so sad how people got into that fad and all put it in. Also, with the '80s/'90s thing, it's not usually a small fix. It's the entire house, like the railing on stairs or the type of wood used in floors or even the layout of the house. You'd be surprised. So it's not a quick fix.
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