Why You Should Meet With Your REALTOR Before House Hunting

It happens ALL the time:  I get a call from a new buyer client, and they've found a house online and they want to go see it immediately.  I completely understand why - they've found something exciting, and it's piqued their interest enough to start house hunting seriously.  However, I always try to get my clients to pump the brakes and hold off on house hunting until I have a chance to sit down with them. 

In my opinion, particularly if it's your first home purchase ever, it is absolutely critical to meet with me so we can discuss the process, some of the issues we might encounter, and set some ground rules/expectations for the home buying process.  Buying a home is a huge investment, and it's crucial to know what you are walking into instead of just "winging it".  As a REALTOR, it is very hard to guide the process and educate my clients when we are out looking at houses - it just never seems to work out like it should.

Most of my initial appointments are 75-90 minutes, and we cover a lot of ground.  We talk about the reasons buying a home is a good investment, what the current status of the housing market is, what the step-by-stop process is that you'll encounter, a little bit about mortgages, a timeline of when you will be expected to spend your money during the process, and a bit about my experience/real estate background.  Many loan officers do something similar to this - in the homebuying process, knowledge is power!