Spring has sprung, the flowers are in bloom, and the curbs are becoming more and more appealing by the day. Must mean it’s house hunting season. So, if you’re a first-time buyer, you’re going to want all the house hunting tips available to help snag your first home while fighting off all the other first-time buyers.

Don’t worry, with the right advice in hand, buying in a competitive market can be easier than you think. Conquer your homeownership goals with the following house hunting tips for first-time home buyers, curated by yours truly.

Tip #1: The right real estate agent can make all the difference.

When you’re ready to buy a house, it’s important to have the right people on your side. Friends and family members are a good start, and the right lender can help make sure you’re ready financially. But a real estate agent? A good agent makes all the difference. 

Consider this: A lot of people think of real estate agents as glorified tour guides. They unlock doors, they show you around, they answer questions, and that’s it…right? Wrong. 

A solid real estate agent (preferably a Realtor®—otherwise known as a certified agent who’s part of the National Association of Realtors) is half friend, half negotiator. They’re going to have your back through the home buying process, and they’ll spend much of their time scouring listings to find homes that fit your wants and needs. In fact, they’ll be able to search through listings you can’t even find on the most popular listing sites. Most importantly, they’re the ones who read through the contracts to make sure you’re getting a fair shake. 

Tip #2: Don’t get (too) attached. 

House hunting can feel like a roller coaster of emotion, and you’re probably going to fall in love with a lot of homes. Our next house hunting tip? Don’t get too attached to what you see online or in person. Sure, the listing pictures may knock your socks off, but remember that those homes are often professionally staged. 

As for in-person viewings? Remember that any home you put an offer on should be professionally inspected anyway, because you never know what that fresh coat of paint is hiding and you may not have immediate access to things like attics and crawl spaces. Looks can be deceiving either way, so don’t forget that most of the homes you’re seeing are staged to sell—not staged for the realities of life. 

Most of the homes you’re seeing are staged to sell—not staged for the realities of life. 

When starting out on this journey, the best thing you can do is come to terms with the notion that the first homes you look at probably won’t be the ones you buy. Use this as an opportunity to take notes on what you like and what you dislike, and compare other homes to that list. 

Tip #3: Waving the red flags.

When you do start attending open houses and scheduling private walkthroughs, there are are several factors to consider that might be so obvious. To sum up our next house hunting tip, here’s a short list of things to keep an eye (or a nose) out for:

• Bad smells: These can be indicative of backed-up sewage lines, hidden mold, garbage, or pests. When it comes to funky odors, trust your gut. 
• Humidity: If you can, get a humidity reading in basements and crawls, and keep an eye out for signs of moisture. Brown or yellow spots in the ceiling and bubbled wallpaper or drywall could indicate leaks in hidden areas.
• Craftsmanship: Look closely at corners, edges, and lines to make sure everything lines up. Look for bows, cracks, jams, and scratches, as those could be signs of poor worksmanship. And don’t forget to make sure doors and drawers close correctly. 
• Surroundings: People love to look at the home, but they often forget about the surroundings. Is the home located on a busy street? Near a church bell? Do the neighbors have dogs? We’d hate for first-time buyers to have buyer’s remorse because they forgot about the sights and sounds around the home.
• Perspective: Online listings have a habit of making spaces seem larger than they actually are. Rooms that once looked huge online turn out to be little more than the size of a coat closet. Perspective is everything, so don’t let that wide-angle lens fool you. 

Tip #4: Do your homework.

Your agent is going to take you to see plenty of homes, but you should also take the initiative to see some homes on your own time. If not by attending open houses by yourself (or with your partner), then at least by (safely) staking things out during off-hours. What’s the traffic look like at 2:00 PM on a weekday? What’s it like at 10:00 PM on a Saturday night?

These kinds of impromptu visits to homes or neighborhoods you like on the surface can reveal far more than a typical house tour, and could help narrow your selection or eliminate some options entirely. Ultimately, the more you see, the better off you’ll be. 

Impromptu visits to homes or neighborhoods you like on the surface can reveal far more than a typical house tour, and could help narrow your selection or eliminate some options entirely.

Tip #5: Get pre-approved.

If, by chance, you do stumble upon your dream home at any point in the house hunting process, you’re going to want to put in an offer. 

These days, offers backed by a lender’s pre-approval carry more weight than your standard pre-qualification (which is nothing more than a statement saying what you might be able to afford). A pre-approval is a bonafide, verified review of your qualifications—your income and your credit score, for example. Plus, it tells sellers that you’re serious about moving forward. 

Tip #6: Patience, patience, patience.

They say it’s a virtue, but it’s also a totally necessary house hunting tip for first-time buyers. Impulsivity leads to mistakes, and mistakes lead to regrets. The process can be unpredictable and time-consuming, but your agent and your lender should help provide a smooth, seamless process that gets you to the closing table in no time and with no regrets.

And now that you know how to house hunt, you’re ready to start the next chapter of your life!

The post House Hunting Tips for First-Time Home Buyers appeared first on Cardinal Financial.

Talk about taboo

When it comes to house hunting, there’s a handful of basic questions you should ask: How many square feet does the house have? How many bedrooms and bathrooms? Does it have a basement? Does it have a yard? Is it in a good neighborhood? Is it in a decent school district? How close is the nearest shopping mall? These are pretty straightforward.

Then there are the oddballs. The questions house hunters are asking (and secretly researching) that are rarely talked about. I asked my fellow colleagues in the CF Marketing department what are some things they (or their friends and family) have taken into consideration before buying a house. You might be surprised at some of the things they said.

1. are you allergic?

Have you ever thought about moving somewhere because of its beautiful foliage? Maybe you’ve considered moving to Georgia for its dreamy Spanish moss or New Mexico so you could have cacti and succulents in your backyard. While this is a factor for some, have you ever thought of the flipside? That’s right, some homeowners specifically don’t move to an area because of the foliage that’s native there.

Dry pollen is easily airborne, and trees like cottonwood, mountain elder, and willow can cause allergies to flare up in some people. Even stranger than researching trees in the area? Bees in the area. Matt Carter, Web Developer, has an interesting experience: “We found out in our research that the neighbor across from the house we were considering is a beekeeper, so they had to warn us in case we were allergic to bee stings.”

2. measure twice, buy once

Home buyers consistently make the mistake of buying things before they measure. In fact, my own friends bought an L-shaped sofa and couldn’t get it in their house. After trying to maneuver it for hours, they took a chainsaw to it and cut it into three pieces! “Really gives meaning to the word sectional. . . .” Copywriter Khari Pressley said.

But aside from measuring for normal things like sofas and beds, we’ve heard of homeowners measuring for some pretty strange items. “My buddy checked the requirements for a golf simulator to ensure it could fit before bidding on a house,” Digital Marketing Manager Elliott Antal commented. What are some other odd things we’ve heard home buyers measure for? Ceiling clearance for animal trophies; aquariums and terrariums; and pool tables, arcade games, and darts—for the man cave, of course.

3. the path of least resistance

Did you know that your daily commute can have an effect on your happiness and well-being? Several organizations in the UK have done research on the topic and an article from The Guardian gives some interesting statistics, stating that anxiety, happiness, and general well-being are affected by “each minute added to a commute.” If that’s the case, home buyers would be wise to research traffic patterns in the area, especially along the route from the home they’re considering to their job location. “It makes working from home that much sweeter—one less item to worry about!” Neil Camm, Web Developer (who works remotely) said.

4. did someone die in this house?

We know, it’s a little morbid. But house hunters have been known to ask their real estate agent (and the seller) this weird question. Here’s what Graphic Designer Kaitlin Larke has to say: “I know I would be checking to see if anyone had died in the house. I wouldn’t want the previous owner sticking around!” You can’t blame her, and neither does Marketing Assistant Amber Johnson: “If a house even looks haunted, I wouldn’t put a bid on it. I’m not taking any chances!”

5. can I check facebook from here?

It’s the digital age, so can you really blame home buyers for wanting a stable internet connection in their homes? “We found a big home for less than $200,000 that was on 19 acres. It had everything you could’ve wanted and it had been listed for months,” Carter said. “That made us wonder, Why hasn’t someone scooped this up already? We looked into everything, thinking something had to be seriously wrong with the place. Come to find out, there were no internet providers for miles.”

Larke has a similar story: “My uncle lives on the side of a mountain and he told me that new houses up there aren’t offered the option of internet access because the servicer refuses to go up there. So those big, beautiful homes have to figure out something else.” No internet? How will they ever survive?!

6. trying to channel my inner Emeril Lagasse

For some home buyers, the make-or-break factor in the decision to bid on a home is lurking behind the walls. A big one for most people? Lack of central air conditioning. To install central A/C in an old home requires lots of work and costs a lot of money. And if you find out the return on your investment isn’t worth it, it’s better to skip that house anyway. Another big one? Gas versus electric heating. “My cousin didn’t put in an offer on a house because the entire home was electric,” Creative Director Erica Lee said. “She refused to cook on an electric range and she didn’t want to make the investment to run gas lines to the house either!” Makes sense: you can’t practice your “BAM!” on an electric stove top!

7. pest control on speed dial

“I get why people live in the South. If you like warmer weather and sandy beaches, it makes sense. That is, until I heard homeowners in the Sunshine State get lizards in their homes. Not spiders, not ants—no, lizards. Thanks, but no thanks!” Graphic Designer Anthony Dean said.

Could pests and other native species really keep someone from moving to a certain region? It does for some, and it’s a question you’ll have to ask yourself. We’ve heard home buyers research everything from emerald ash borer to alligators before deciding to search for a home in that area. What’ll it be for you?

What’s one weird thing you researched before you bought your house? Tell us on social media!

The post 7 Weird Things People Consider Before Buying a House appeared first on Cardinal Financial.