Beginning Your Home Search
Learn how to survey the housing market, locate promising homes for sale, and decide what you really want in a house.
It's good to start your home-search on your own, particularly if you haven't yet chosen an agent. Just going to open houses for a week or two or surfing the Internet will help you get a sense of the local market. Such research can also refine your sense of how much house you can afford, potentially expand your horizons regarding livable neighborhoods, and wise you up to what all the advertising hype really means -- or disguises.
If you haven't already chosen the area where you want to live, see How to Research New Communities or Neighborhoods.
How to Access Listings of Houses for Sale
Somewhere out there is a seller who wants to sell a home as badly as you want to buy one. This means you can count on homes being advertised in at least a few places. Here are the best ways to get up-to-date information:
- View online listings. The vast majority of home buyers now use the Web as part of their search. Many websites draw from a central database known as the multiple listing service (MLS). Each site's presentation and ease of use is different though, so you'll want to check around for the ones you like best; try www.realtor.com (by the National Association of Realtors) and www.homes.com (by a network of realtors). OR you can use one run by the realtors' association in your home state or region or check the websites of major real estate companies such as RE/MAX, Coldwell Banker, and Prudential. Although they may have fewer listings (sometimes only those listings held by their own company), they may do a more thorough job of describing the house, complete with exterior and interior photos.
If you're looking for a newly built home, check out www.move.com, www.newhomesource.com, or www.americanhomeguides.com.
- Read the local newspaper classifieds, especially the Sunday edition. If you're focused on a particular neighborhood, find out whether that neighborhood has a community newspaper with real estate listings. Many newspapers also post their classified sections online.
- Drive through neighborhoods that interest you. You may spot "For Sale" signs of homes whose listings you overlooked. Some may be "FSBOs" -- that is, homes for sale by owner, without the help of a real estate agent. FSBOs are not always advertised widely. Another way to make sure you don't miss any FSBOs is to check websites dedicated to them, such as www.owners.com.
When you see a home that interests you, either make an appointment to see it or check whether an open house has been scheduled.
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