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After a long time anticipating, the time is coming for the big move to NC.
My question is, when should I get a realtor?
Timeline-wise, we are renting an apartment starting November 1 for a 6 month lease. We have the intent of buying at the end of the lease, but are not adverse to buying sooner and breaking the lease if we need to in order to get a perfect house. Our preference is to move in to a new home 6 months + 1 day from November 1.
We are undecided on new or existing construction, and we intend to narrow our price range as soon as my fiancee and I both have employment secured - right now she is looking, but I am set.
When do you think I should start calling realtors?
It may take 6 months for you to find a house and close on it. I think you should start early, interview them and determine which one you will use to help you find the potential homes. That way the realtor can start looking for listings for you.
The sooner the better... A realtor will setup a site just designed for you (plugging in price range and location) and this site will be updated daily by automatic queries of the MLS listings. New homes will be added to your list, homes will be removed once under contract, homes will be updated if the price changes.
My recommendation would be the sooner the better. Plus it is always fun looking out homes online and eliminating them prior to looking in person. It is also great to mark a house as a 'favorite' to keep an eye on it if the home reduces it's price.
I have clients who come down having already talked with me, gone on house hunting trips, and when they get here get a lease (6 months usually) on an apartment and we begin looking in earnest when they are ready. I think it all depends on the person though.
You will want to get "settled" and figure out which way is up essentially. Your agent can also help you with the getting settled thing, it is nice to have at least one person in the area you can call with a question!
Some people find an agent after they have been here a while and by driving around they have narrowed down an area. It is nice to find someone who is familiar with the area you are moving into. The triangle is a big place.
I've found my real estate agent to be quite knowledgeable about stuff other than just the real estate transaction; specialty markets, schools, community parks, etc. I now ask my real estate agent as far referrals for other services too, handyman, landscaping, etc.
After a long time anticipating, the time is coming for the big move to NC.
My question is, when should I get a realtor?
Timeline-wise, we are renting an apartment starting November 1 for a 6 month lease. We have the intent of buying at the end of the lease, but are not adverse to buying sooner and breaking the lease if we need to in order to get a perfect house. Our preference is to move in to a new home 6 months + 1 day from November 1.
We are undecided on new or existing construction, and we intend to narrow our price range as soon as my fiancee and I both have employment secured - right now she is looking, but I am set.
When do you think I should start calling realtors?
That 6 months will go FAST.
You will need a few weeks to get over the move. You will likely need 4 to 6 weeks to close on a home. It can be done faster. But 4 weeks is pretty typical.
That leaves you about 4 months to decide where you will most want to buy, to find an acceptable home, arrange your mortgage, and negotiate your contract.
Call a Realtor as soon as you move and feel a little comfortable in the area. You should feel NO pressure from the agent to buy immediately.
Do not rush yourself. Come down here first, settle down, and get the feeling of the different neighborhoods and zip codes. Drive around and see as many open houses and model homes as you can. Get a feel of cost and where is the best value available.
You can use any of many free MLS search web sites available to learn about the market condition and growth trends. If you have children, spend sometime learning about school ratings in different zip codes. When you narrow your choice to few neighborhoods or zip codes and ready to buy, then hire an agent if you need to.
The first thing you need to do is figure out which areas of the Triangle are right for you. I say this because most of the realtors specialize in specific areas. So a realtor that covers, say, the Wake Forest area is not going to be as much help if you want to buy in Chapel Hill. Your commute will be a major factor, of course. If you want to live within 10 miles of your job, it'll be easier to nail down your general location. But if you're okay with a longer commute or if there are other factors to consider, then ... well, you've got some research ahead of you.
Remember that Realtors can't always give you a totally straight answer to some questions. They aren't trying to be sneaky, but when you are an official Realtor-with-a-capital-R, you can't always speak frankly about, say, the crime levels or quality of schools in a specific neighborhood (although I've known of realtors who will point you towards certain websites so you can do the research & judge for yourself). A Realtor can be a great help (I don't know what we would have done without ours!), but in the end, it all comes down to you.
Get here in drive around. A GPS can be a great help. See some neighborhoods, maybe go to a few open houses, & refine your list of "needs" and "wants". Even after you've found a Realtor, feel free to keep driving around & looking for inspiration. Then make sure you tell that realtor EVERYthing that you like & what you don't. The more specific you can be with your realtor, the better he or she can help you. Good luck!
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The Sooner the Better
