There is a proper etiquette for doing many things in our everyday lives and that also includes buying or selling a home. When going out to view Orange County homes for sale as a buyer, there are some behavioral constraints to do that will help provide a simple and beneficial experience, regardless if you’re the buyer or seller.
The following are home buyer manner’s and guidelines:
1. Pre-Approval – Get your financing pre-approved before going to search for a home. It can be a tremendous waste of time to view homes you may not qualify for. The seller, including any family members, their listing agent blocked out some time to show the home and have a justifiable reason that the prospective buyer(s) entering their home are qualified to buy it.
2. Scheduling – Consult with your agent to establish a reasonable schedule of homes to view during the day. If you are the kind of person who prefers to take their time when viewing a home, tell your agent from the start so they don’t try to jam in a lot of showings in a couple of hours. Conversely, if you prefer to walk through properties fairly quick, tell them that as well.
Be respectful of time schedules and the procedure to look at homes during a pandemic. Each home you see is unique. Some homes are occupied by the owners or tenants, have children or pets, some sellers work flexible hours from home, and so forth. Developing an acceptable schedule for showings can be accomplished by your agent who’s aim is to work through a variety of unique situations and showing instructions.
Some home showings require 2 or 4-days advance notice than other properties, important instructions to follow, and more. Making an appointment to see homes results in agents and offices communicating with each other to coordinate all details.
If you drive up then decide the home is no good before ever setting foot inside is not a good method. Give the chosen properties an opportunity to win you over.
Keep in mind, there is a seller that blocked out some time to let you see the inside of their house. You can never be 100-percent sure until you see the home’s interior and you may not have a lot to see in a low inventory market.
3. Viewings – How long should you view the home? Although there is no official rule, anywhere from 15-30 minutes at maximum for a first showing is regarded as appropriate.
If you only have a handful of homes to see, taking longer may be acceptable. However, if you are scheduled to see 10 properties, viewing every house for 30 minutes will become a very long day and you may not have time to fit them all in your allotted time.
The ones you like can always be viewed again. Before you make an offer on a home visit the home twice if possible. Don’t forget you will have a physical inspection in the beginning if it’s in the contract so you’ll have the opportunity to see the home again at that time.
The important things to bring with you are a tape measure to see if your furniture will fit or if the room has enough space for a dining table, couches, wall units, custom bedroom furniture, and your things for other rooms in the house.
4. Personal Opinions – Avoid talking about the property in the open while in the home or nearby outside. Talk it over in your vehicle or somewhere else private. The sellers or the neighbors may be able to hear your conversation.
It is the sellers property and they likely can hide a audio recorder somewhere inside and outside the home during your scheduled time! Many sellers already have video surveillance equipment to catch house thieves so audio recording is not off limits.
5. Groups – Try to reduce the field trip effect of inviting your friends, relatives, or associates trampling through a home showing. It is best advised that relatives and friends that are real estate experts are better served to tag along once you have made a decision on two or three homes. Keep in mind it is essentially your choice and your mortgage payment unless someone in your group will be co-borrower or invest in the property.