Moving in and out is one of the biggest stresses in our lives. Deciding to make the move is not easy. How can you keep your stress levels down while browsing the real estate/ Boston condo market? Here are some guidelines that should help you land the home you’ve always wanted.
Start early enough
Time and timing is a huge part of the stress inherent in house hunting. No one likes feeling rushed into making a life-changing decision. You can beat this by starting your search early and finding answers to questions you may have. If you are worried about your current lease, bear in mind that it’s possible to break the lease early. Yes, it would mean paying it out, but closing the deal on the perfect Boston house or condo should be worth it.
If you feel pushed because you’re moving out soon, take into account that you could rent a place for a month or two until you find something. If you haven’t found what you’re looking for, it pays to wait a bit longer. Boston condo market is dynamic and you shouldn’t go for a deal because you’re afraid there won’t be anything better. There will be.
Keep a clear picture of what you want
You may have figured out how many bedrooms and bathrooms you want and whether you want a large backyard or you’d be happy with just any. However, you’d better make a very particular list.
When you’ve made your definitive list, you’ll want to order the items by priority. There’s no such thing as perfect house or condo, and weighing options will be easier if you think through the aspects that truly matter to you. These are some aspects that you could include in your considerations:
- Square footage of the interior and the outdoor space
- Type of housing
- Number of levels
- Type of exterior
- Number of rooms and bathrooms
- Floor plan (especially if you have children or elderly relatives)
- Neighborhood amenities
- Noise levels
- School districts
- Proximity of expressways, freeways, etc.
- Distance to work
- Distance to family members
- Age of home
- Amount of maintenance necessary
Get pre-approved for a mortgage
This move has threefold benefits. The most straightforward one is that the funds will be ready once you find the property you like. Secondly, this process will give you a good idea of what your budget is, all things considered. Lastly, you can use the fact you got pre-approved to convince a prospective seller that you really mean business.
Organize the viewings
If you schedule the viewings on weekdays, you’ll have the advantage of viewing the properties at your own pace. Fewer potential buyers are likely to book a viewing during the week.
It could also be a good idea to group the viewings together as much as possible. That could make it easier to listen to your gut reaction when you visit a property.
Be systematic in your notes
Even though closely spaced viewings could be good for your instant reactions, they can also play games with your memory. Regardless of how you organize, you’re advised to take detailed notes to make it easier to compare listings later on. What you can do is use your priorities’ list from the point #2 in this post and use it as a table to add check marks and notes.
Find a trustworthy and reliable agent
Your real estate agent is your house-hunting partner. Make sure you find the best one – in other words, your real estate agent should be someone whose advice and judgement you trust. It’s important that you can communicate well and that you can rely on the agent’s expertise. Experienced real estate agents easily navigate the realm of negotiations and paperwork, plus they have early access to listings.
