Now you have a firm buyer for your house, you and your spouse can start the fun process of looking for a house or apartment. Hopefully in the meantime you’ve been keeping your eyes on prices in the area you plan to move to and noticing any fluctuations in prices.
Even within a suburb or town there can be variations because one part of the suburb or town is seen as less desirable than the other. So investigate the area thoroughly by driving around it. Where houses are uncared for, it tells you something about the attitudes of people living there. If there is graffiti covering walls and fences then it could indicate a problem.
Make sure you have your checklist of what is negotiable and what is not in a house. You may find you and your spouse will have different ideas in this regard as men and women tend to look for different things in a house.
Look at size and placement of rooms for your living style. Keep that in mind when looking to buy. Those who entertain formally will have different requirements that those with more casual family type activities.
Real estate agents invariably will try to up the price and attempt to show you houses above the price you tell them you are prepared to pay, so be ready for this. There should be some negotiation room but it won’t usually be a lot. So stand firm to what you and your spouse know you can afford.
It’s not a bad idea to house hunt in wet weather. Then any faults, leaks, or water lying around in the yard shows up. Look also for any cracks in walls for ceilings or corners.
Don’t look at the color of walls. Mostly people change them when they move in anyway. We almost always have. It’s not hard and inexpensive to repaint if you and your spouse do it yourselves. It can be a fun time together making the house more your own.
Try and imagine your furniture in the rooms. It’s no good buying a house or apartment that your furniture won’t fit into. Look at placement of doors and windows which sometimes make furniture arrangement difficult.
Don’t appear too eager even if you love the house or the agent will think there is no negotiating room and try and keep to the higher price. Remember the agent is working for the people selling, not you. They’re the ones paying him. So try and be fairly non committal, at least until you and your spouse have talked it over privately.
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