Refining Your Search for the Right Home

If the basic home search strategies aren’t working for you, though, you may need to try more advanced tactics. Here are some ideas that could take you farther:

1. Create a Comparison Chart

When you see a lot of homes in a short amount of time, they all start to blur together. Keep each option’s pros and cons straight by making a comparison chart and bringing it with you to viewings. You can organize charts by sets of houses you see in the same week or by properties in the same neighborhood, then include sections for taking notes on their size, condition, features, price, etc.

2. Go Through Each Home Twice

First impressions aren’t always the most lasting. You’ll notice a home’s most appealing features (or glaring issues) on a first walkthrough, but a second one could help you identify problems or recognize potential that you didn’t see before. Take the time to go through each house from top to bottom twice.

3. Draw a Basic Floor Plan

For the same reason it helps to draft comparison charts, sketch out a home’s layout while you’re inside. You’ll be better able to remember where all the rooms, windows, and stairways are and consider the differences from other properties later on.

4. Get More Info from the Seller

The seller knows more about the home and neighborhood than you can discover with your own eyes and ears. Try to get as much information out of them as you can about why they’re selling, renovations and repairs they’ve done, their relationship with neighbors, and how many offers they’ve already received. You can learn a lot from both answers they give freely and those they hesitate to speak up about.

We hope these next-level tactics will help you weed out lesser options quickly so you can set your sights on the best of the best. With patience, determination, and an extra critical eye, the right home will be yours.