Five Common Home Buyer Mistakes

The Richmond Metro Real Estate Journal

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As the spring selling season comes into full swing here in Richmond, I thought I'd offer some
advice to home buyers. Purchasing a home is not a complex process, but many different things can go awry. If you can steer clear of these road bumps, you should have a rather painless real estate experience.

1. Moving too fast: Don't jump on top of the first home that you see. At least take a look at all of the properties that match your purchasing criteria before you commit to a single home. Also, setting your heart on a single home can cause disappointment down the road if your offer is not accepted. It's best to keep your options open.
2. Not researching the neighborhood: You should know about the neighborhood, the schools, and the amenities of different neighborhoods before you commit to buying a home. This can certainly affect your future, so don't let this slip past you while you're busy looking for properties.
3. Skipping a home inspection: We would never let our clients do this, but it still happens every now and then. This is an absolutely disastrous decision, and we would never recommend foregoing a home inspection on any property.
4. Making an unconditional offer: Making a sale contingent upon something else is a good way to protect your own interests. If you need to sell your home before you buy another, then let the seller know this. It might put some people off, but we don't want to risk your well-being.
5. Not getting pre-approved or pre-qualified: Sellers like to see serious buyers that have been approved for a loan, and this will help you immensely in a competitive housing market such as the one here in Richmond. This also gives us a lot of leverage when we negotiate a good deal for you.

If you're looking to purchase a home this spring, please get into contact with my team. We're full of good advice and would love to assist you in any way possible.

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