After you have decided to buy a new home, your realtor should sit down with you to have a realistic discussion about two important factors: your budget and what type of house that money will get you in your city.
- Your realtor’s job is to lay out a clear picture for you of the market landscape and help set your expectations. Something important to keep in mind is that this process is going to be uniquely personal for each homebuyer’s situation!
The same budget may get you a very different type of house from city to city, so avoid comparing yourself to anyone else in the process.
While analyzing the market, it is important to remember to look at the finalized sales price of properties that have recently sold that have the features you desire and not just the homes listed for sale.
The reason we advise this is that home buyers start the process with a perception of value, which does not always closely align with what you can actually buy in a particular market.