Now that
you have your list of needs and wants and you know how much you
can afford to spend, it's time to look at some houses! Not just
yet. Step back for a moment and consider the larger picture.
People don't just buy a house; they buy the neighborhood the
house is in. Think about that...if you found the perfect house
but it was in a neighborhood that wasn't to your liking, would
you make an offer on it? Most likely the answer would be, "No."
So, you
will need to make another list of what type of neighborhood you
want to live in. You will most likely want to consider things
like how living in the neighborhood will affect your drive time
to and from work, what amenities are offered (swimming pool,
tennis courts, park, etc.), and, if you have children who are
attending school or soon will be, what school district you will
be in and how close the schools are. You may even want to make
two lists just as you did with your home criteria.
Your real
estate agent can help you consolidate the information from your
list of needs and wants for your home, your preapproval, and
your list of needs and wants for the neighborhood. From this,
you can incorporate this information into a broad search
profile, which will then be narrowed down to specific areas
dictated by the market in which you will be looking. Your
agent's experience in local markets will be an invaluable
resource during this step.
