So you've found an agent (Step 1), and have been pre-qualified (Step 2). Now what? 

Well, very few people would buy a car without driving it. Would you buy a home without seeing it in person? Of course not! It's time to get out there and tour properties!

Over 90 % of home shopping starts online. That's great, but seeing a property in person is the best assessment of a home. Your agent will have access to schedule tours to properties, as well as walk the home with you. If you get there early, you can drive the neighborhood if you're not familiar with it. Some times, a neighbor will come by and that gives you immediate "insider" info to what kind of neighborhood you're shopping. There's always that neighbor that has the latest scoop and wants to share with whoever will listen.

Be sure to look at every room, maybe even twice and see if you can vision yourself in the space. Some homes are occupied by the seller or already staged by a professional company, so these should be easy to envision where furniture would go. If they're empty, that can be a bit tricky, but a clean slate is always great! I keep a tape measure in my car for clients that have over-sized furniture and want to see how it would fit in the homes we tour.

Keep an eye for potential issues that a home could have; i.e. foundation, plumbing, electrical etc. Some times, simple things can make parts of a home look worse than it actually is, like lighting, paint colors, carpet stains, wallpaper etc. 

Just remember, very few home-buyers purchase the first home they tour. The first few homes are some times a learning process for a new buyer and also the agent. It gives us agents a perfect view of what you like and don't like.

Step 1: here Step 2: here

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