The Home Buying Checklist

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It’s a great time to buy a home right now in Pittsburgh. If you’re in the market for a new home, here are some items to keep in mind as you begin the process.

The first thing you want to consider is whether you want to buy a new construction home or a pre-owned home. The question really is if you want brand-new things, or don’t mind an older home with mature landscaping and character.

The second thing you want to figure out is the makeup of the neighborhood you want to move into. Spending time in the neighborhood before buying helps, and the questions you want to answer include who you want your neighbors to be and how close you want to live to other people.

These tips will lead you to the right property.

The third and final thing to figure out is if the bedroom count and the floor plan are workable for you. If you have a big family or like to entertain, you’ll need more space. If you plan on having kids, or more kids, you might want an extra room as well.

If you have any questions for me, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.

The 8 Keys to Finding a Strong Listing Agent

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search

Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation

When getting ready to sell your home, one of the first things you want to do is find yourself a strong listing agent. Here are eight questions you can ask any real estate agent to get insight into who they are, what their track record is, and how hard they work for their clients:

1. Is this your full-time job and how long have you been in the business?

2. How many homes did you sell last year?

3. Do you work mostly with buyers or sellers?

4. What’s your average days on market? How long does it take you to sell a home?

5. What’s your list-to-sale price ratio?

6. How will you market my home? Avoid agents who only use the three Ps. They put a home on the MLS, place a sign in the yard, and pray someone buys it. That’s not a good strategy in today’s market.

7. Do you handle the closing yourself or do you have an assistant? An agent with an assistant will always give a higher level of service than someone doing it on their own.

8. Can you give me a list of recent clients you sold homes for?

A strong listing agent is essential.

I guarantee that if you ask an agent these eight questions, you will be able to find out who is going to work for you and who won’t. I hope this helps you out and if it can help out anyone you know, feel free to pass it along.

If you have any questions for me, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.

Tips to Find the Best Buyer's Agent

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search

Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation

I wanted to share some tips with you for finding the right agent when you're buying a home.

Anytime you buy a home, you want to hire a buyer’s agent. This is an agent who works solely with buyers, so you know they're not steering you toward any listings they have instead of all available homes on the market. This ensures that they're working completely on your behalf, representing you, and finding you the best deal they can.

Contact an agent about six to 12 months before you actually plan on buying a home. If they are a good agent, they'll educate you on the entire process with a buyer consultation and follow up until you're ready.

“

A great buyer's agent only works 
with buyers and doesn't take listings.

”

There are five questions you should ask when interviewing agents to help you determine what kind of agent they are:

1. Do you take listings? This will show you whether they're a true buyer's agent, or if they work with both buyers and sellers.
2. Is this your full-time job? You want an agent who works full-time in this business and loves what they do enough to be committed.
3. How many buyers do you help find homes a month? This will show you how active they actually are and how hard they're working for their clients. When an agent does great work, people will refer them to other people they know.
4. How many homes do you personally view a month?
5. What is your asking price to purchase price ratio compared to other agents in the MLS? This will tell you what kind of deals the agent is able to negotiate on your behalf.

Finally, I wanted to give you some final thoughts. A good buyer's agent will educate you on the whole process, not just give you a sales pitch and open some doors to see houses.

A good agent will also always get you pre-qualified by giving you names of lenders so you’ll know you how much you can comfortably afford to spend. Finally, a good buyer's agent will always ask you to sign a buyer agency agreement. This ensures that they're committed to you and will work as hard as they can on your behalf.

I hope you found this topic helpful if you're planning on buying a home. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me.