How to Find Listings of Ut Homes for Sale and Figure Out Which One to Buy - Anne Johnson
Here's how to survey the housing market, locate promising homes for sale, and decide what you really want in a house:
It's a good idea to start your looking for home buyer opportunities on your own, particularly if you haven't yet chosen an agent.
Go to open houses for a week or two or surfing the Internet will help you get a sense of the local market. (Around one third of all 2008 home buyers first spotted their home on the Internet!)
This information can also refine your idea of how much you can afford, potentially expanding your horizons regarding neighborhoods, and wise you up to what all the advertising hype really means -- or disguises.
Somewhere there is a Utah home and there is a seller who wants to sell his or her home as badly as you want to buy one. This means you can count on homes being advertised in at least a few places. Here are the 3 best ways to look for up-to-date information on homes for sale:
1. Read the local newspaper, especially the Sunday edition. Look in the classified sections of the local utah newspapers, like the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News. If you're focused on a particular neighborhood, find out whether that neighborhood has a community newspaper with real estate listings. Smaller towns, like Ogden, Provo and St. George have their own. Many newspapers also post their classified sections online.
2. Drive through the neighborhoods that interest you. You may spot "For Sale" signs of homes whose listings you overlooked. You may see "FSBOs" -- that is, homes for sale by owner, without the help of a real estate agent. FSBOs are not always advertised widely. Another way to make sure you don't miss any FSBOs is to check websites dedicated to them, such as http://www.owners.com.
3. Use the Internet. The vast majority of home buyers now use the Web as part of their search. Many websites draw from the same resource, namely a database of home listings known as the multiple listing service (MLS). Each site's presentation and ease of use is different though, so you'll want to check around for the site you like best. On most sites you can search home listings based on criteria such as location, price, and number of rooms.
Popular local websites include the Prestige Real Estate site at http://www.househuntinginutah.com. There are national websites available too and a site run by a network of realtors called http://www.homes.com. If you find the national websites slow, search for a site run by the realtors' association in your home state or region. If you're looking for a newly built home, check out http://www.homebuilder.com, http://www.newhomesource.com, or http://www.americanhomeguides.com.
When you see a home that interests you, either make an appointment to see it with the agent first or check whether an open house has been scheduled.
If you are thinking of buying your first home, you should take out a pen and paper right now and draw a line down the center of the paper. Calmly and logically, think of all possible advantages to buying a home and write them down on one side of the page. Afterwards, you should list all the disadvantages.
Then save the list in a place you will be certain to remember.
Sound silly?
Of course it sounds silly. Who needs to write down their reasons for buying a home? After all, home ownership is the central theme to living the "American Dream."
Naturally, while in hot pursuit of this dream you are going to be excited about the future -- researching neighborhoods, searching MLS sites on the internet, viewing homebuyer's magazines full of appealing homes that are just "minutes from the beach" with "fantastic views" and "cozy family rooms."
Next comes the really good stuff - looking at houses. Full of imagination and optimism for the future, you wander about each home envisioning a happy and contented life for you and your family. The first house may be "too big," and another may be "too small," but you are certain to find one that seems "just right." So you make an offer and wait anxiously and excitedly for the counter-offer.
Finally, you and the seller agree on terms and you have bought yourself a brand new home!
Here are the top considerations when considering the resale value of the home you are thinking of buying:
Homes with a pleasant view of the horizon often sell at a premium above similar homes without the view. However, if a view is important to you, buy it mostly for your own pleasure and not as an investment.
Even though most real estate value is usually concentrated in the building, the lot is important, too. Obviously, it should be as level as possible. Assuming the property is in a typical neighborhood, the lot should be rectangular and no odd shaped lots or oddly situated lots.
In each residential neighborhood, houses will vary in size and rooms, but they should not be too different. If resale value is an important consideration, you should not buy the largest model in the neighborhood. When determining market value, the homes nearest to yours are most important. If most of the nearby houses are smaller than your house, they can act as a drag on appreciation.
Three and four bedroom houses are the most popular among homebuyers, so if you can stick in that range you will have more potential buyers when it comes time to resell.
Walk-in closets are extremely desirable for the master bedroom. For the rest of the house, just besure there is plenty of closet space. Don?t forget space for linens and towels.
Family activity centers around the kitchen, so this is the most important room of the house. Larger kitchens are better, and they should be provided with modern appliances. Obviously, the dining room and breakfast nook should be located adjacent to the kitchen. In newer houses, the family room should also be extremely close to the kitchen.
The only room where you absolutely have to have a fireplace is the family room. A fireplace in the living room may be nice, but you pay extra for it and will probably rarely use it. At best, it serves as a focal point of the living room, but does not add much in real value.
Swimming pools do not provide as much added value as they once did. Safety issues about families with younger children have become more publicized than in the past, so families with small children tend to avoid homes with pools. As a result, having a pool may actually reduce the number of potential homebuyers when you try to resell the home.
Buy a home with a pool for your own enjoyment, not as an investment.
Good Luck in your hunting. We are here to help you.
Email me or call me with any questions. Visit http://www.househuntinginutah.com or email me at anne@househuntinginutah.com
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