Even smart people make common real estate and
home buying mistakes. Here’s how to avoid them in your San Francisco real estate search.
Kick some San Francisco
County real estate tires
1. Shop and Compare San Francisco homes.
Walk through several MLS listed San Francisco county real estate for
sale and homes that are for sale in your price range. Make sure
these properties are located in the area within San Francisco County
you want to live. By reviewing multiple MLS listed for sale homes
and real estate in the San Francisco market you will be better prepared
to recognize overpriced homes and real estate and obtain the confidence
to know a good home value when you see it.
Get help from a San Francisco
County real estate local insider
2. “Pick the brain” of a smart San Francisco County
Realtor.
All Realtors are not created equal. If a Realtor does a lot of self-promotion,
that does not mean they have the most real estate experience and
are respected by their peers. If you are a Buyer in the hot San Francisco County MLS market, presenting a home offer through a top San Francisco County Realtor gets your offer noticed and taken seriously.
Top San Francisco Realtors know the real estate sales process, all about
real estate financing, how to remedy inspection issues and are expert
real estate negotiators. Great Realtors will get you the home in
San Francisco you what. Great Realtors know the pros and cons of homes
in there city and market area and may even know about homes not
yet available in the San Francisco MLS but that will be soon. Ask Smarter
Agent to recommend
the best Realtor in your town.
A mortgage will make
your San Francisco real estate purchase happen.
3. Get pre-qualified for a mortgage.
Get over financial hurdles before you put in a home purchase offer
for your San Francisco home. Find a good mortgage professional and go
over what you can afford. A good lender will give you a pre-qualification
letter even before you find the home you want. There is nothing
worse than finding a home and losing it, or worse, losing your deposit
because you can’t close the deal. Get a mortgage
application.
Budget for all your life
needs
4. Don’t over mortgage yourself with your San Francisco
real estate purchase.
There are so many mortgage products, you may be tempted or advised
to borrow as much as you can fro your San Francisco home. But be warned
- there is nothing worse than getting in over your head. Make sure
you can afford to live comfortably in your home, put money aside
for your children, and have cash on hand to pay for unexpected events.
Don’t assume your San Francisco home value will keep appreciating
at the same rate it has over the past 3 years. Do assume your home
carrying costs will rise! Your annual San Franciscol real estate taxes
and homeowners insurance rates will most likely rise each year.
If you have an adjustable rate mortgage, your monthly mortgage payments
will eventually go up. Housing markets eventually cool, but your
payments never stop - be prepared!
The Agreement of Sale
is key
5. Put all the details of your San Francisco home purchase in
the Agreement of Sale.
The Agreement of Sale spells out the timing, terms and dollar amount
of the real estate transaction. Don't take anything for granted,
or rely on promises from the Seller or their real estate agent.
Have your San Francisco Realtor™ put all conditions of the home
sale into writing, and get the seller's written approval for any
modifications or amendments to the Real Estate Agreement of Sale.
Inspections
6. Use a professional Home inspector.
Make sure all electric, gas water and other utilities remain connected
so you can inspect the home in working order. Get a qualified home
inspector to do a review of the house and prepare a written report
for you. Go over the report with the inspector and your agent. Agreements
of Sale usually allow a few days to bring any serious defects to
the attention of the Seller - so a resolution can be attempted.
Final Home Check
7. Do a final house assessment.
After the Seller moves everything out of the house, take a walk
through the house a day or two prior to settlement. Make sure the
home is ready to be transferred in good shape as outlined in the
Real Estate Agreement of Sale. This will be your last chance to
ensure everything in the house is in working order prior to settlement.
Let your San Francisco real
estate team show you their best stuff
8. Be open about your timing, financial condition, and lifestyle
needs.
A good San Francisco Realtor™ is trained to find solutions to
fit your needs – in ways you may have not yet considered.
You may say you want a house on a San Francisco golf course, but your
retired spouse may feel more secure in a low maintenance gated condo
community where you can play several of the San Francisco regions courses
with less carrying costs. A good Realtor can take the information
you give them, and translate that into unique property solutions.
Be Flexible with you
San Francisco real estate search
9. Try to relax.
From negotiations to closing and moving dates, focus on getting
the deal done, not winning every battle. Delays and complications
are part of most real estate deals, as both you and the Seller are
completing a very time consuming, expensive and sometimes emotional
transaction. Most issues are resolvable. If you’ve done your
homework, have a great Realtor and mortgage team, you can be confident
you will get a good deal and avoid mistakes.
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Our San Francisco County real estate experience can help you avoid mistakes
in the home buying process.
We believe it’s important to pick the
best real estate professionals off the bat.
When you start your search with Smarter
Agent, you can call
or email us with any questions from your first internet search
straight through to your actual closing and beyond!
Get savvy, try SmarterAgent.
Smarter Agent –San Francisco will save you a lot of time and help you get the best
deal with the least hassles and at the best price.
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