You’ve gotten pre-approved for mortgage financing, so you know that you can get a loan and how much you qualify for. So now it’s time to start looking. Hi Don Thompson here, your local real estate expert advisor, to share

So where do we begin? You probably have already started looking online, checking out the various websites, you know, Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, Homes.com, and maybe even a Realtor or two’s website. Some house show up on this site but not on that site. Some show available but are already sold or not on the market at all. So many of my clients wonder how this all works, so let me see if I can spell it out

But first I want to explain to you why you should look for a Realtor to assist you during this process. Basically, a qualified broker and I want to specify, a qualified broker because as in all professions, not all brokers are created equal,there are some good and some not so good. So work with a knowledgable broker, who can advise you through this somewhat complicated process that you’re about to begin.

Ok so you have your broker advisor.

The internet is definitely the most efficient way to start your search, so how do you make sense out of the different websites. Well, simply put, the “name brand sites” you know Trulia Zillow, etc seem to have the most houses listed for sale but the information is not always accurate,

They’ll have homes that are already sold and sometimes a long time ago, still showing for sale. They’ll have properties that are distressed, either they are pre foreclosure or the bank already owns them but they are not on the market yet.

And just to say, I’ve had people ask me “So how do I contact the bank and buy one of these foreclosures” and they usually have one picked out “ before they come on the market?” and I have to tell you that unless you want to buy a block of 100 or so of these houses, you’re not going to be able to get at the bank owned properties until they come on the market and they will be listed with real estate company to maximize their exposure.

So, my suggestion is to start with your broker’s websites. These sites are typically updated consistantly and they should have current, up to date information of homes on the market today. And it’s not like we’re trying to hide anything from you that you would be able to find on the other sites.

So you’re searching online, you enter your basic criteria, areas, bedrooms, baths, lot size and so forth. You get this list, sometimes long, sometimes not, depending on your criteria. You go through the list, eliminating properties that aren’t quite right. Not the right street, the right size, the pictures aren’t appealing, whatever.

Then, I always recommend that you drive by the houses to see what you really think of the neighborhood and the exterior, because we realtors are real good at taking pictures to show only the best view and not taking pictures of things that might turn you off. And I recommend driving by, because there is nothing more frustrating for your broker and for the seller for that matter, to pull up to a property, which we took the time to schedule and the seller took to time to prepare, and then have a buyer say they don’t even want to go in because they don’t like the house next door.

Ok so now you’ve filtered out some more properties you then call your broker advisor and schedule a convenient time to go see the interiors of the homes and to get some feedback from your broker.

So now you find the one that you want, it may be after seeing one home or several, and if you think about it, even if you actually only get into one house, you’ve actually seen a lot properties online and eliminated them already. OK so you found that house and you want to make an offer…

and “Making an offer” will be the topic of my next video in this series, so look for another email from me soon.

Thanks again for watching and if I can be of any assistance now, you can just call or text me at 413.221.9981 or reply to this email and I will gladly respond and advise you on the purchase of your next home.

Thanks and have a great day!