RealaMusings

As a new buyer there are a number of critical stages you need to navigate in your quest to buy a new home.

Clearly a tough one is finding the right home in a neighborhood where you want to live. For some, this happens quickly – others may take weeks or months before they find the property they want to buy.

A particularly  emotional  period  arises when it is time to make an offer.   Making the momentous decision to put together an offer causes lots of anxiety for first time buyers, and there is no way to completely avoid that concern…it’s the  nature of what you are doing AND the amount of money you are spending.

A critical component  of the offer, however, is the paperwork (which, by the way varies quite a bit from state to state so talk with your agent). There are key decisions, however, that must be made in all cases…how much to offer, the closing date, and much more. AND you should know that any offer MUST be in writing to be considered valid.

Learn more about what YOU must know about the purchase agreement here in California (but the  choices you must make  will help you anywhere).

This is a serious question, since I see lots of folks who are out there going through the motions, but my sense is that they are not really ready to buy a home. Yet.

There may be many reasons for this,  and if you truly are not ready, that’s fine. But I suggest you give it some serious thought, since you may say you want to buy but are really not prepared.

Learn more about the questions you should ask yourself to see if YOU are really ready to buy.

Engaging in the search for the right home is a complex and emotional process, even for those who have been buyers before.

As a new buyer, you have more tools at your disposal than buyers did even just a few years ago. The Internet has exploded with websites brimming with information, aerial maps, photos, virtual tours, slide shows, blogs, single listing sites, data bases, indexes, directories, tables, graphs, demographics  and much more for you, the buyer. In my opinion, the Internet is your MOST important tool in the home search process.

The SECOND  most important home search tool is your car. What?

Yes, your car (for those of you who don’t own a car, live in the city and use public transportation, walk  or use a bike, well your own two feet will suffice). Why do I say this?

• Finding the “right neighborhood,” whatever that means to you, is typically on the top of the list. So use your car to drive around and explore these potential “right neighborhoods.” Feet come in handy here too.
• While the Internet allows you to find homes you like, it is lacking in many ways. Driving by a home can be a real eye  opener  - it might be better than it looks on-line, or it might not. And you could discover something hidden behind the house, or next door, that the Internet photo does not reveal, or that is not shown in the aerial map.
• Lots of folks want to know how far it is to their new job, or the beach, to shopping, or wherever. Your car (or your feet) provides the perfect opportunity to check this out for yourself. No one else can do it but you!
• Questions about safety, traffic volume, noise, neighbors, etc. are common. If you drive around you will learn lots about the area you are considering, in fact far more than you will learn on-line.

If you aren’t using this valuable tool, you are missing the boat, so to speak.

Yes, the Internet is terrific for helping you identify  a home you like. But don’t let it take over your home search. Your car, or your feet, could end up being far more important in the long run. And worth the price of gas.

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Start YOUR  CARLSBAD HOMES SEARCH HERE  (and other area communities)

Visit CARLSBAD COMMUNITY REPORTS for profiles on communities, subdivisions and neighborhoods

Request FREE BUYER AND SELLER REPORTS HERE

MORE REAL ESTATE INFORMATION:

Fans of Coastal San Diego – a fun blog about living in the San Diego area, including Carlsbad. I would love to have you stop by and add your own thoughts and recommendations.

Relocation A to Z – everything buyers and sellers need to know about relocation to Carlsbad, or anywhere else.

First Time Buyer Central – for new AND experienced buyers

For most buyers, finding the right neighborhood is at the top of their list. The size and style of house may be critical, but finding it in the “right” neighborhood is perhaps the most important thing to many purchasers.

Everyone has different ideas of what makes a particular area a comfortable place to live and the one that comes out on top of the list – it might be the location (say near a beach or city), the size, style of home, schools, diversity of people, crime statistics, proximity to transportation,  and more. I always advise buyers to give careful thought to this issue, especially if it makes a lot of difference to them personally.

Most buyers are looking for homes on-line, and there are a number of resources for checking out neighborhood information  as well. Certainly if you are in the local area, spending time driving around a neighborhood, or even walking around, can be very helpful. Some people will even approach folks living in the area to query them on what neighborhood life is like.

A number of sites will provide lots of information on neighborhoodsthroughout the USA. These are in no particular order, and information will vary from site to site. Keep in mind that demographics may be based on a census that is several years old, so these statistics are likely only estimates and trends.

• Localism  - I like this site because information comes directly from real estate professionals
• Neighboroo
• Zillow
• Outside In
• Best Places
• On Board Navigator

Good luck in your search. Sure, you can ask your agent about neighborhoods, but legally they cannot disclose some types of information, such as crime statistics, or tell you  what school is best. Some of that due diligence is up to you.

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Start YOUR  CARLSBAD HOMES SEARCH HERE  (and other area communities)

Visit CARLSBAD COMMUNITY REPORTS for profiles on communities, subdivisions and neighborhoods

Request FREE BUYER AND SELLER REPORTS HERE

MORE REAL ESTATE INFORMATION:

Fans of Coastal San Diego – a fun blog about living in the San Diego area, including Carlsbad. I would love to have you stop by and add your own thoughts and recommendations.

Relocation A to Z – everything buyers and sellers need to know about relocation to Carlsbad, or anywhere else.

First Time Buyer Central – for new AND experienced buyers

If you just want to hire a Buyer Agent to help you in your search, it’s pretty easy. There are lots of them out there. Go to an Open House and you can pick one up (sorta like pickup up a date at a bar, isn’t it?). Do a quick Google search for agents in your town and you can find dozens.

But I don’t recommend this strategy. Hiring the right agent, especially if you are buying your first home, is too important  and you need to take the process seriously.

The best way to select and agent is to conduct an interview with the ones you are considering (possibly 2 – 4). Derive a set of questions, perhaps 8 – 10, and call each one for a phone interview, with the goal being to select the top 2 to meet face to face. Using the same set of questions will give you valuable information on each that you can compare, then choose the ones that impress you the most and set up a personal meeting in their office.

The face to face meeting is essential so you can ask more questions, learn more about the agent’s work style,  and gain a comfort level. But it is also important for the prospective agent to query you on your needs, financial status and other issues. The kinds of questions the agent asks will be a good clue as to how they work and what they will do to help you.

After these interviews it should be clear who the right agent is for you. If not, talk to a few more before you make a final decision.

To learn more about interviewing your Buyer Agent, read these posts on Buyer Presentations:  How Do You  Benefit  and What to Expect.  

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Start your CARLSBAD AREA HOMES SEARCH here.

Download FREE BUYER AND SELLER REPORTS here

It is fairly common for buyers who are starting out in their search for a home to find themselves “working” with more than one agent. They ask Mr. ___ in this area for help, they tell Ms. ___ over there that they are looking for X type of home and so on. They meet agents at open houses and imply that they will use their services. So before long there are multiple agents allegedly helping the buyers.

Sometimes this happens innocently – the buyers  just don’t know any better. But in other cases it is intentional – the buyers either think they  will be better off if they have multiple agents “working” on their behalf. Or they just don’t want to commit to a particular agent for some reason.

The reality is that this typically does NOT work in  your favor, and there are no advantages of searching for, and buying, a home in this way. Sellers don’t hire more than one listing agent, do they?

Yes, it’s true that not all agents are equally competent. Some ARE better than others. And some will do a better job representing YOUR interests in a buying transactionl. But having a bunch of agents who are helping you find homes is not very effective (unless they service distinctly different areas) and you won’t get any loyalty from any one of them. They all have acess to the same information on the MLS so if one finds homes the other doesn’t, well guess what – one is either more committed to YOU or they are better at their job.

It’s YOUR choice, of course, but perhaps you want to read more on this subject before you decide YOUR best course of action…

In my opinion, both as an experienced consumer and a real estate professional, you are wasting your time.

Buyers, about  80% of them,  these days spend a lot of time on-line, researching homes, communities, schools, mortgage rates and much more. We are at a time when there is more available on the Internet to help buyers (and sellers) than ever before, and it continues to grow.

As a buyer it is in your best interest to spend some time researching the areas that interest you, in addition to finding homes that meet your personal and financial criteria. For many folks, the neighborhood is one of the most important things they consider when deciding whether to buy a particular home or not, so learning as much as you can about the area you like makes a lot of sense.

I often get questions from buyers about the local communities in coastal North County San Diego, including Carlsbad, so over time I have assembled some community profiles (with photos, virtual tours, and plenty of information). I also talk about some of the actual neighborhoods and subdivisions in those towns. This chart is listed below with all the links (this will be updated periodically).

From time to time i will talk more about this issue, since gathering information as a buyer is an essential part of becoming an informed consumer. Please don’t hesitate to ask for help or post a question, if I can assist you in your info-gathering at any time.

Jeff

As a buyer of a Carlsbad home, or anywhere for that matter, it is important to know up front what your property taxes are going to be. Why, you might ask?

First, property taxes can be fairly substantial, to the tune of thousands of dollars per year. In Carlsbad, where California’s Proposition 13 regulates our property taxes to a max of 1% of assessed value (assessments can rise only up to 25 per year until a change of ownership), the tax rate varies from about 1.027% to 1.048% plus special fees and bonds. (Keep in mind that property taxes in YOUR local may be very different, and perhaps more costly – check with your town’s tax assessor).

Second, the property taxes will be figured into the calculation by your mortgage broker to determine who much of a loan you can qualify for, along with insurance, your debts and other things. While these taxes are TAX DEDUCTIBLE, you still have to pay them up front, so the lender wants to be sure that you will be able to do so.

Keep this in mind when looking at your personal budget and plan accordingly. You might want to estimate high on what your taxes might be, say 1.2% – 1.3% for Carlsbad so you are prepared (especially if there are Mello Roos such as in new construction subdivisions).

Read more on property taxes for Carlsbad here.

Start YOUR CARLSBAD HOMES SEARCH HERE  and elsewhere in San Diego

Request FREE BUYER AND SELLER REPORTS HERE

As a buyer, whether new or not, you have lots to consider when looking at Carlsbad homes that meet your criteria (or elsewhere in North County San Diego).

I have often been asked about noise (e.g., is there a lot of noise, is this a noisy area?) so I thought it prudent to discuss this briefly. Noise is very subjective – what is troubling to one person may not even be noticeable to others. Trains, planes, cars, neighbors, industrial facilities, etc. can all annoy folks, depending on your tolerance.

If noise is a factor for you, make sure you pay close attention to this while house hunting. Open windows, spend time outdoors, check out the home at different times of the day, and do whatever you need to do to reassure yourself the noise is not an issue…or that it is. Keep in mind it may not be disclosed, and by law may not need to be depending on what it is.

Do your due diligence before you buy! After the fact is too late.

If you have an interest in Carlsbad or other nearby communities in North County San Diego, check out Localism. This is a great source of LOCAL information – housing, market reports, photos, and general information about this terrific coastal town 30 miles north of San Diego.

You can check out other communities around the country as well.

Got questions about the area?  Let me know. I live here and can probably answer any questions that you have as a buyer or seller. Feel free to call or text me at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net.

Start your HOME SEARCH HERE