Hands down, house hunting tends to be one of the most exciting parts of the home buying process. However, being unprepared can really take away from the experience. To ensure you have the best home buying adventure possible, we’ve cultivated 5 hacks that will have you house hunting like a pro. 

Hack #1 Be Specific & Selective

Your time is extremely valuable, especially in this market. Before you are out and about looking at homes, make sure you are being selective with your choice in prospective properties. If you recognize that you absolutely need 3 bedrooms in a certain school district, search with those parameters in mind! You need to know what you are looking for and exactly how much you can afford. Connecting with a Mortgage Consultant on our Cambria Mortgage team upfront  is crucial. Knowing how far you can stretch your budget will help you to make sure you are looking at homes that allow for some wiggle room in the dollar amount of your purchase offer should a bidding war arise. Whether features or budget, you don’t want to waste your time falling in love with a house that just doesn’t work.

Hack #2 Stay Organized

Once you have found a handful of properties that you would like to go see in person, communicate with your Realtor what your schedule looks like that day. Consider the area you are beginning your hunt and where your end destination will be. Will you start at your current home but end at Little League practice? Your Realtor will map out your properties in a way that makes sense both location and time-wise. Sometimes due to a lack of availability with showing times, your route may seem a little backwards. But your Realtor will do all they can to ensure your route makes sense, you are allowing for enough time at each property to get a thorough look and you’re taking into consideration the time it takes to commute from one property to the next. When the schedule is finalized, have your list of addresses ready for you to plug into the GPS. Keeping a clear list of times and locations handy will help you tremendously while on the go.  

Hack #3 Dress The Part

When it comes time to go see these houses, we recommend doing some careful thinking when it comes to your wardrobe. Choose shoes that are easy to slip on and off but are also suitable for walking in grass and dirt. It’s common courtesy to remove your shoes before walking through the house so you won’t want to spend a lot of time tying and untying your shoes at each one… We know what you’re thinking. No, sadly, sandals probably aren’t a good idea. You probably don’t want to be walking barefoot throughout a stranger’s house. Another thing to keep in mind is that you’ll want to take a look at the exterior of each home; you never know if there will be mud or wet grass. Choose a versatile shoe option, trust us. Oh and, don’t forget your mask!

Hack #4 Fuel Up Beforehand

The old saying, “don’t go grocery shopping hungry,” definitely applies to house shopping too. There’s nothing worse than trying to focus on the house you might want to purchase but only being able to notice how loudly your stomach is grumbling. Make a point of eating before you go! You’ll also want to make sure your car is all gassed up to make it through all the showings. There tends to be very little time for stops between point A and point B so stopping at a gas station to fuel up or even take a bathroom break is unlikely. It’s best practice to avoid using the bathroom at the homes you are looking at as well so keep that in mind! Lastly, it’s not a bad idea to bring a bottle of water, a quick snack and some hand wipes and/or sanitizer to freshen up between showings. Better to be overly prepared than underprepared if you ask us!

Hack #5 Make Note of It

While you’re looking at the houses, you will want to make sure you keep everything straight. Make sure you’ve written down the key features of each house and why you wanted to see each one. Price, square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, school district and days on the market are good factors to keep top of mind while walking through. Did you notice the windows are old or the kitchen is a little cramped? Factors like these ones will make a difference when it comes time to decide which house you want to pursue making an offer on, write those details down. Lastly, before you leave that property be sure you jot down your final thoughts. Is this particular home one you will pass on, one that you need to give a little more thought to, or one that you are ready to write up a strong offer for? Always have a clear action plan in mind. 

If you’re ready to put these hacks to use, be sure to reach out to a Cambria Mortgage professional to get pre-approved ahead of time. We’ll help you best prepare for your homebuying journey so you can act fast and have a better chance of securing that dream home! Let us help you make your home buying experience a great one; call us today at 952-942-0110 or visit our www.CambriaMortgage.com. We’re ready to assist you!