Who’s ready for the second step of the process: house hunting? It normally takes a little while to get to this stage because the first step is so tempting to put off. Sometimes it’s put off for what feels like an eternity, to me at least. Nonetheless, it has to be done, so just do it. The faster you do it, the faster we get this pawty started. And by pawty, I mean house hunting.
House Hunting Preview Party
Ok, so here we go. Party started. You’ve taken Step 1 and gotten pre-qualified by your favorite lender, Kate or Mark. Now you’re ready to rock and roll with the house hunt. Where do we start? Good question. We start with me setting you up on a search via the trusty MLS (Multi Listing Service). Realtors subscribe to this so we get the most accurate real estate information. Zillow is not the most accurate real estate resource, my friends. Bonus: My website has a sweet search tool (https://lizwoodrealty.com/homes-for-sale-search/) if you want to stalk homes 18/24 hours per day. I’m not judging. I’ll then set your parameters to reflect your needs. How many bedrooms? How many bathrooms? Do you want a yard? Condos are cool, but are they for you? Which area of town do you want to live in? We’ll narrow it down to get to your best match. It’s like dating. You will kiss some frogs to get to your prince, or princess.
Do-it-yourself home improvement project gone wrong.
Let the Hunger Games…I Mean House Hunting… Begin
House hunting can be overwhelming. Not “can be.” It IS! It’s also kind of…scratch that…really…fun. You get to walk around someone else’s house and see how they live. Old rotary phones? Check. Do-it-yourself electrical installation? No thank you. It’s all part of the experience. And my peeps who tell me “I’m not in a rush because I want the perfect house.” Watch out, Vettel. House hunting Formula 1 style is about to commence. You’ll be in a house in record speed. Why? Because that’s just how it works. Suddenly your rental becomes a jail cell and you can’t get out fast enough. You’re convincing yourself that yes, you can live with shag carpet and only half the kitchen cabinets. Wallpaper everywhere? I’LL TAKE IT! It has so much potential! Plus it’s all mine to do with it what I want!
Put Your Pants on One Leg at a Time
We’ll start actually seeing a couple of houses from the list. Then you’ll work your way up to more. It’s a process. And yes, sometimes you do buy the first house you see. I’ve had it happen. Not before looking at 30 more houses, though! What is this, wedding dress shopping? I just did that, so I know. Thank you, Yvonne LaFleur, for making it perfect, but I’m done. I’d love to tell everyone not to mentally move in before buying the darn house, but I’d be wasting my breath. Or my typing strokes. I’ve done it, my future in-laws did it. It can’t be helped. But you have to keep your cool. Puh puh puh poker face, puh puh poker face. Lady Gaga, anyone? Sooner, and hopefully not later, you’ll find one that you like. Or love. And we’ll be ready for the offer process. Sometimes we’ll even get into a bidding war. I just won one with my mad skillz by the way.
Liz Wood: selling one house at a time with humor and knowledge.
About Me
I love my clients, and I love going through this process with them. So for those who’ve taken Step 1 with the lender, here is Step 2: house hunting with yours truly. I’m easy to get in touch with, and I’m ready to make your house hunting experience amazing.
