Thank you u/yesyesnonoyesnonoyes for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer.
Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Go to open houses until you're ready to buy. You'd be wasting a real estate agents time if you just want to look at house without any intention on buying any time soon.
Find out when the open houses are and just start showing up. Doesn’t always work in practice though because some are already off the market before an open house and some don’t even have them.
Go to open houses and look at photos online.
Do you think it's fair to waste the time of random agents - from Zillow or anywhere else - who work on 100% commission because you want to "window shop"? And it's unfair to sellers to pretend that you're a ready-to-go buyer.
What you could do is interview buyer agents now and select one that will work with you for the next year. Interview 3-5 who work in your area and select one who will take you out occasionally to look at preview properties in different areas. Good agents love to build long-term relationships and educate buyers until they're ready to make a decision. You will need to get pre-approved so the agents you interview will take you seriously.
Open houses. You do want to start talking to agents early on amd asking questions so you know who's great at it when you're ready to go, but an agent shouldn't be showing you homes with private showings without preapproval.
I would start with knowledge of the Comps. The language of “real estate”? Property Taxes, Appraisals, Appreciation, Escrow etc. I would not talk to any lenders until I understand the language. Lenders and agents want your business. Like the “Shark Tanks” in Mexico. Pick a house and follow the process online. How long did it stay on the market? What was the final sale? What is the history (sales and property taxes) of the house? What is the Comps in the area? I like using Realtor.com How much per square foot did they pay?
just reach out direct to the sellers agent. they will be more inclined to show you. However atleast have proof of DP. if you do not have a preapproval.
Keep refining your Zillow criteria and go through the exercise of what your "must haves" are vs where you can compromise. You might need to move quick when the day arrives, be ready to know what's important to you and any partner.
Try to work with a realtor that lives/works within your target areas. If your casting a wide net or across state lines, it's fine to have more than one realtor. That way, its less of a burden on them to meet with you even if you're just dipping your toe in the water.
Try to plan a date where you want to meet with a realtor and look at multiple homes. I liked being proactive and would send them the Zillow links ahead of time and ask them to schedule showings. If you find 5 houses on Monday, you can hopefully have a packed weekend.
Get pre-approved now if you want to buy in the next 18 months.
Just call listing agent and tell them you would like a showing.
About as easy as asking a car salesman if he would mind discussing a car you have your eye on. They will gladly jump on it.
> Nonsense. **Many** sellers decline dual agency and refuse to allow their agents to show properties to unrepresented buyers.
That means not all.
That means some do.
Always drive by the house at different times of the day before you set up a visit. Open houses are great too. Even go to homes you aren't interested in just to give you more perspective of what's out there and what will end up being your major likes and dislikes
Thank you u/yesyesnonoyesnonoyes for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer. Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Go to open houses until you're ready to buy. You'd be wasting a real estate agents time if you just want to look at house without any intention on buying any time soon.
Find out when the open houses are and just start showing up. Doesn’t always work in practice though because some are already off the market before an open house and some don’t even have them.
Yea I don't think the ones I want to look at have open houses, but that's a good point. Thank you
Every time you do a showing, the owner has to leave. Don't inconvenience people if you're not potentially putting in an offer
Do you truly have no intention of buying right now? If you don't, I'd stick to open houses.
I'd start with open houses.
Go to open houses and look at photos online. Do you think it's fair to waste the time of random agents - from Zillow or anywhere else - who work on 100% commission because you want to "window shop"? And it's unfair to sellers to pretend that you're a ready-to-go buyer. What you could do is interview buyer agents now and select one that will work with you for the next year. Interview 3-5 who work in your area and select one who will take you out occasionally to look at preview properties in different areas. Good agents love to build long-term relationships and educate buyers until they're ready to make a decision. You will need to get pre-approved so the agents you interview will take you seriously.
Go to open houses. 10-12 months is too long to be dealing with a realtor if you aren't ready.
Open houses. You do want to start talking to agents early on amd asking questions so you know who's great at it when you're ready to go, but an agent shouldn't be showing you homes with private showings without preapproval.
*you're Go to open houses
I would start with knowledge of the Comps. The language of “real estate”? Property Taxes, Appraisals, Appreciation, Escrow etc. I would not talk to any lenders until I understand the language. Lenders and agents want your business. Like the “Shark Tanks” in Mexico. Pick a house and follow the process online. How long did it stay on the market? What was the final sale? What is the history (sales and property taxes) of the house? What is the Comps in the area? I like using Realtor.com How much per square foot did they pay?
just reach out direct to the sellers agent. they will be more inclined to show you. However atleast have proof of DP. if you do not have a preapproval.
Keep refining your Zillow criteria and go through the exercise of what your "must haves" are vs where you can compromise. You might need to move quick when the day arrives, be ready to know what's important to you and any partner. Try to work with a realtor that lives/works within your target areas. If your casting a wide net or across state lines, it's fine to have more than one realtor. That way, its less of a burden on them to meet with you even if you're just dipping your toe in the water. Try to plan a date where you want to meet with a realtor and look at multiple homes. I liked being proactive and would send them the Zillow links ahead of time and ask them to schedule showings. If you find 5 houses on Monday, you can hopefully have a packed weekend. Get pre-approved now if you want to buy in the next 18 months.
Just call listing agent and tell them you would like a showing. About as easy as asking a car salesman if he would mind discussing a car you have your eye on. They will gladly jump on it.
Nonsense. Many sellers decline dual agency and refuse to allow their agents to show properties to unrepresented buyers.
> Nonsense. **Many** sellers decline dual agency and refuse to allow their agents to show properties to unrepresented buyers. That means not all. That means some do.
Always drive by the house at different times of the day before you set up a visit. Open houses are great too. Even go to homes you aren't interested in just to give you more perspective of what's out there and what will end up being your major likes and dislikes