David Bruce

November 19th, 2008

Starting Your Richmond Area Home Search

Starting your search for a new home in the Richmond, Virginia area can be exciting and at the same time overwhelming when faced with the task of figuring out all aspects of the Central Virginia real estate market. Are you looking for: A Victorian in old Bon Air? A classic Ranch in Chamberlayne Farms? A brick Cape in Westham? A Condo in the Fan? A Colonial in Hanover with land?  What can I afford? Do I need a Buyer’s Agent?  Do you want a 2 car garage? How many bedrooms and baths are you looking for? There are many questions to answer and it can seem overwhelming. Fortunately there is a fundamental process of steps to not only get started in your home search, but give yourself a great chance at finding your dream home and getting a great deal.

The easiest way to quickly narrow your search through the mass of homes available in Richmond is to start the process of getting pre-qualified for a mortgage. A great first step would be to call a Richmond area mortgage lender and schedule a meeting to evaluate your current financial situation. After understanding your income level, savings amount, liabilities and other financial information, a mortgage lender can offer you pre-qualification on a particular loan amount.

Not only will this loan amount level help you decide on the Richmond area property you can afford, but it will postion you better to negotiate as a buyer when it comes time to write a contract on a home. By attaching a pre-qualification letter with a contract offer, your offer will be taken more seriously by a seller knowing you can secure a mortgage. This letter can make a big difference if there are competing offers on a home.

Choosing the right real estate agent for your home purchase can be the difference between a fun, positive home buying experience that is a financial success versus one that could be negative both financially and emotionally. Knowing your mortgage budget and a basic idea about the area of Central Virginia you would like to live in, is all the information a real estate agent needs to get started.

The best real estate agent is one that will help you through the process and listen to your desires at every step along the way. Skye Bruce Properties, The Official REALTORS of RichmondHomeShopper.com has multiple real estate agents and they work hard to find the Buyer’s Agent that is the best fit for you. It is important that you feel comfortable with your agent as this is one of the biggest financial decisions you will ever make. Skye Bruce Properties also has a support team of industry experts including mortgage lenders to help you get started.

The odds of finding a home in your price range with each and every feature you could ever want are pretty low. However, by developing a list of important features you’re hoping for in your new home, and prioritizing them, will give you and your Buyer’s Agent a better idea of what homes on the market you should tour. A list like this can save you time and frustration from visiting homes that are not right for you, but may show up as possible homes based on sales price and location.

The process of figuring out what matters most to you in a home can be a difficult one, but going through it will ultimately save you a lot of stress. Skye Bruce Properties Buyer’s Agent’s are very good at asking you the right questions to clearly understand your needs and at the same time they will make suggestions for you to consider to insure you get the right house at the right price. Make sure you articulate as clearly as possible what you require in your new home and help your Buyer’s Agent more effectively select homes in the Richmond area for you to consider.

The prospect of selecting a single home from the scores of properties on the market the Ricmond area can seem like a difficult exercise. However, by understanding your mortgage budget, choosing the right real estate agent and deciding on exactly what you want, you can cut the stress and worry from the process very quickly and insure your home purchase is a big success!

Skye Bruce Properties, The Official REALTORS and Buyer’s Agents of RichmondHomeShopper.com are experts at representing home buyers in the Richmond area. Contact them today to begin your home search!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 at 4:59 pm and is filed under Buying A Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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