Advice needed on house hunting!

Nrvsbride · January 10, 2008

I'm really sorry that happened to you. The way you have to look at it is this: If you love it so much, there are probably a ton of other people that want it also. So if you see something you love, be prepared to make a move within the next few days. Get pre-approved so that it will make things quicker for you. Also, after you view a home you like, go home and discuss it with FI the plan out your finances and go see it for a second time within the next day or two. Then make your offer ASAP. But like everyone else said it is a buyers market so there is a lot of inventory out there. Good luck!

coreyphil · January 10, 2008

Thanks for all the help girls! We are pre-approved with a bank ... we were just planning on getting a pre-approval from a broker to compare rates. We should have that by this Friday. Then the holidays and the trip happened ... it was so crazy that it had been listed for so long and then was snapped up! I talked to my realtor today and he apologized ... he said that he talked to the seller's realtor to ask why it wasn't showing under contract when we saw it ... apparently there was some sort of system glitch.

That's a great idea about talking with an inspector and contractor ... I'll have to look into that!

And, I'm realizing pretty quickly now whether or not I like houses we're looking at ... my FI is just VERY cautious (read: SLOW) in making big decisions! (thus, dating for four years ...lol!). Maybe losing this house will be a bit of a lesson for us both and get us moving!

TammyWright · January 10, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by fogdog

Try house-hunting the Bay Area! Typically, houses get listed on Thursdays, open houses on the weekend, and then (several) offers Tuesdays.
Once you've looked at enough houses (we looked for 8 months) you should know within a few minutes of walking in and then scanning the disclosure packet whether it's right for you or not. As time goes by, you'll become more comfortable with moving quickly. Also, depending on your offer, you should be able to use your contingencies to back out if you need to.
Very good advice to have your inspector and mortgage broker lined up ahead of time. Both can act quickly (less than 24 hours) if you have an already established relationship.

i feel ya...we made an offer on a $930,000 house that was a total gut job and it had 3 offers...we didn't get it.

all you can do is just be aggressive, maybe have your agent hit old listings taht were pulled off the market to see if owners will still sell...if their is a neighborhood you like a letter to each homeowner might not be a bad idea...i've found houses for 2 clients that way (i sued to be in real estate)

TammyWright · January 10, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by fogdog

Try house-hunting the Bay Area! Typically, houses get listed on Thursdays, open houses on the weekend, and then (several) offers Tuesdays.
Once you've looked at enough houses (we looked for 8 months) you should know within a few minutes of walking in and then scanning the disclosure packet whether it's right for you or not. As time goes by, you'll become more comfortable with moving quickly. Also, depending on your offer, you should be able to use your contingencies to back out if you need to.
Very good advice to have your inspector and mortgage broker lined up ahead of time. Both can act quickly (less than 24 hours) if you have an already established relationship.

i feel ya...we made an offer on a $930,000 house that was a total gut job and it had 3 offers...we didn't get it.

all you can do is just be aggressive, maybe have your agent hit old listings taht were pulled off the market to see if owners will still sell...if their is a neighborhood you like a letter to each homeowner might not be a bad idea...i've found houses for 2 clients that way (i used to be in real estate)