How To Know You Got The Best Deal When Purchasing

Most buyers in today's market are concerned about getting a good deal. This really is no different than most markets, but there seems to be a special emphasis placed on the "deal" now.

So, here are the steps to making sure that you get the best deal possible:

1. Negotiate the best mortgage terms possible.
2. Make sure that you understand what you and your partner are looking for in a home.
3. Rate the homes that you see so there is no confusion about homes that should stay on the short list or not be considered any longer.
4. When you narrow in on a home, talk to the neighbors to get the real scoop about the house and the neighborhood. Questions should range from security to schools to why the sellers are moving to has there ever been anything wrong with the home. I like to talk to 3 neighbors.
5. Inspect the home with your eye for obvious issues: basement leaking, crawl space issues, leaks on the inside, erosion of soil, driveway issues etc...
6. If the seller is providing a seller's disclosure, calculate the age of the depreciable items that represent a value in the home's price. Roof, heating and air units, hot water heater, appliances, etc...
7. Look at the comparables in the neighborhood but don't compare the surface facts. Study the expired listings, pending sale listings and sold listings and also look at the tax records for square footage.
8. Don't compare foreclosures to this property if it is a resale. Many foreclosures have repairs that need to be made to the property that will not be included in your findings.
9. Visit the school system whether or not you have a child or your child will be attending the school. Buying in a bad school district is a fatal flaw for resale in the future. You can research school scores online as well.
10. Investigate any land that surrounds the home that is vacant with the county to know for sure what the zoning is and who owns the property.
11. Make a clean offer to the seller that does not include closing costs and personal items. After you work on the price, you can add additional items to the price by raising the price. The seller will not mind because the net to him will remain the same.

Of course an experienced agent can really help you with this process. We have a ton of tools that we provide our buyers to help them with the details of this and of course we walk you through every step.

The bottom line is that the best deal does not mean just the price, it also means what is the best deal for you personally.

Good luck and happy house hunting.