8 Things Nobody Tells You About Buying A Home

Being a home buyer is tough and sometimes defeating. Things don’t always go your way but it’s how you handle the ride that counts. Your Realtor will become your friend and you will be in constant contact with them. You will be sending them new and old listings asking, how about this one? This looks exactly like the place I want. How come you didn’t send me this info?

A good Realtor will send you the info on the places that fit what you need and want. Keep in mind that sometimes you may also find something that they didn’t. Odds are this is because you’ve decided to expand your search or maybe there are restrictions that you don’t know about.

Your Realtor will guide you in the right direction. They have been doing this for sometime and know what you want. But here’s a list of some things that nobody tells you. Things that will come up and things that are perfectly fine.

Trust me when I say you are not the first to have this thoughts. So you may as well know them now.

1. As a Buyer, be sure to keep those important thoughts to yourself. – At least until the end of the Open House. Talk to your Realtor and go over those thoughts with them first. It won’t help you if a Realtor over hears that you are willing to pay $100,000 over asking when you put in that offer. If the Selling Agent knows who is putting in offers and for how much before it comes. It gives the sellers leverage, as they will know what you are willing to pay and that could work against you. Don’t say anything in the house you wouldn’t want the Seller to hear. You would be surprised but sometimes there are drop cams set up in the house that the sellers use to can use to spy on you.
2. Odds are you won’t find your perfect home at your first Open House. I find that my buyers tend to see at least 5 properties before making an offer. Of course, some people fall in love with the first house they see and others, after the 40th. You’ll know when you’ve found the ONE. That the job of the Realtor, they will see in you what you love.
3. You’ve bought that dream home, now what? – It’s possession day and you walk in. Your heart drops…this is not what I remember it. It looks smaller, the walls weren’t that scratched. Or were they? It’s okay to second guess yourself. It’s human natures as this is a huge purchase for you. You want things to be perfect and they will be. Once you put in your stuff and add your touch. You will be in love again in a few hours…it’s just the nerves.
4. It’s time to become a stalker. – I still remember that every weekend and many times during the week. My wife and I became stalkers after we bought our home. You will too…You’ll go out of your way many times to drive by it. Maybe we should head out to Ikea or visit Brewers Row for a beer. That was a 30 minutes drive each way. But we did it religiously and you will too.
5. Give me my keys…NOW! – You often don’t get the keys to your new home until after 4 pm on possession or closing day. Your lender needs to transfer the mortgage and your lawyer needs to transfer the title into your name before any keys can be released. Legally, Sellers have until 5 pm to move out.
6. Start decluttering your life. – Once you buy that home and it becomes moving day. It’s best to get rid of those items that aren’t needed. Nothing worse than dragging that old bookcase and couch that you want to replace anyways. Just get them on Craigslist and start making some sales now. Ikea stuff still draws top dollars as a used item.
7. This is the place I want to buy! – Househunting is actually only a small part of what your REALTOR does, so if you found the home you want to buy on your own, your agent’s job is really just beginning. Your agent still needs to do their due diligence on the house, determine fair market value, prepare the offer, negotiate terms that protect you, coordinate the deposit cheque, attend the home inspection, deal with any conditions in the offer and coordinate with your lawyer and lender. They’ll be with you up until the date of closing (and long after, if you’ve found a good agent).
8. It’s Moving Day. – Moving day is going to suck no matter how excited you are about your new home. Hire professionals. Have plenty of alcohol on hand. And take a deep breath – it’ll all feel amazing in another few weeks. This is time to invite your friends over, odds are they will be around to help you move. Even if they say they can’t…they CAN!

I could add a few more to this. Best piece of advice is to stay in communication with your Realtor. Tell them exactly what’s going on in your mind. They can’t read it for you but they can answer it for you.