Key to it all is firs...]]> House hunting can actually be an enjoyable experience if you take your time and do your homework. Really! In my years as a Realtor, Investor and just a plain old looker before that I discovered the following ways to make house hunting less stressful and more effective.

Key to it all is first deciding where you’d like to live, then making it your business to learn as much about schools, hospitals, grocery stores, shopping, medical facilities, recreational amenities and so on.

Once you’ve done that you’re ready to investigate about the crime rate. Is it a safe location, or do you need to be considering another location?

And as awkward as it may be to talk about, you want to assess the quality and character of the people who live in the area. Obviously, you can’t interview them, but you can get a fairly good sense of their character by the condition of their homes and from the activities you might observe.

For example, if your prospective neighbor has discarded auto parts, household appliances and other stuff in their front yard you might want to reconsider your choice. A poor location when you buy will definitely be a negative factor if and when you decide to resell the home at a later date.

But once you’ve zeroed in on a good location, you’re ready for the next step of finding your dream home. can start to think seriously about searching for your dream home. But instead of spinning your wheels by looking at houses randomly, you should determine what you really want in a house beforehand and be quided by those things in your search.

Make a list of things that are important to you. Do you want a single story house, or do you prefer two stories? Will 3 bedrooms and 2 baths do, or do you really need 4 bedrooms and 2 & 1/2 baths? Making a list will not only save you time, it will also be a big help to your Realtor in planning your viewings.

Next comes the biggie. Get pre-qualified for a mortgage loan before jumping in the car to tour houses. You need to know how much house can you afford, which most people don’t know.

Affordability is based upon income, credit status, interest rates, down payment, closing costs and the type of loan selected. By getting pre-qualified by a lending institution you will know what you can afford to spend, which will save you time by establishing the price range you should be looking in before you begin your house hunting tours.

Once armed with information about how much house you can afford you’re ready to begin looking at homes. Make notes after each viewing each property, because after 2 – 3 homes they’ll start running together and you won’t be able to remember the details of each one as you think you will.

Finally, you need your own Realtor; someone who is working for you and is looking out for your interests. When you call the Realtor on a “house for sale” sign you’re speaking to the seller’s agent, who represents the seller and will be looking after the seller’s interests.

Like I started out saying, house hunting can be an enjoyable experience when you take your time and do your homework, but when done wrong it can be a terribly stressful situation. Fun and easy, or difficult and stressful. You decide!

Lanard Perry, author of a real estate marketing system that shows Realtors how to average 1 or more listings a week. Visit him at Real Estate Marketing Talk for more marketing ideas.

Here are some more tips to help you get the most out of your hous...]]> The home buying process can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time. After all, it’s one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make. So before you begin looking for a home, make sure you have a plan in place.

Here are some more tips to help you get the most out of your house hunting experience.

Take pictures of the home, inside and out.

When shopping for a home, bring your digital camera along. Or borrow one from a friend. Take pictures of all the houses you visit, and then group the pictures by house address for easy viewing later. This will help you remember the details of each house afterward. Then you can more easily decide which houses you’d like to follow-up on or revisit.

Bring a friend of family member along.

Buying a home can stir up a lot of different emotions, and that’s perfectly normal. But emotion can sometimes overpower logic — not something you want when making a financial decision.

You can counter this by bringing a friend or family member along on your house hunt. By bringing someone who’s not so emotionally attached to the process, you’ll have an objective ally to help you identify the pros and cons of each house.

This person can also help you recall details about a house after each visit. And chances are, they’ll be able to point out aspects of a home you might not have noticed otherwise.

Compare the house to your budget.

Ever heard the expression “house poor”? This is what happens when people take on more of a mortgage than they can comfortably afford. Ask yourself this question. If you have to work longer hours and scrimp and save just to afford a house, is it really worth it?

While house hunting, you’ll inevitably come across one or two houses that really knock your socks off, but would also knock a hole in your budget. But you have to keep your finances in mind, no matter how gorgeous a house might be.

Consider the commute.

Here’s another area where it pays to be objective. If you find a house you like, and it’s within your price range, the next thing to consider is the location. Is the house near or far from work? Does it have access to the highways you need? How long will your commute be each day?

It’s easy to fall in love with a house and dismiss the drive time. But if you commute every day, drive time matters! Try driving to or from the house during rush hour to get a realistic picture of what you’ll face every day.

Avoid spur-of-the-moment decisions.

Buying a home will probably be the biggest financial decision of your life. So it requires careful consideration. Know what you’re looking for and how much you can afford. Remember to be objective. Then get out there and hunt!

* Copyright 2006, Brandon Cornett. You may republish this article in its entirety, provided you leave the byline, author’s note and website hyperlink intact.

About the Author

Brandon Cornett is the editor of HomeBuyingInstitute.com, one of the Internet’s largest and most respected libraries of home buying information — more than 100 expert articles in 12 different home buying categories! Put this knowledge to use by visiting http://www.HomeBuyingInstitute.com