Buying Property for Your Family by Real Estate in West Auckland
People buy property for many reasons but probably the most common is for a family home in which they can live and grow together. This provides an element of security for long-term accommodation so the family can be reasonably confident of having a comfortable home as they grow and develop. However, buying property for your family is not as easy as it might look at first sight. Below, a real estate agent in West Auckland, gives some tips and pointers to consider if you might be thinking of buying a new home in the west Auckland suburbs.
1) Selecting a good real estate agent in West Auckland
Your first step to finding a new family home is to select a real estate agent who understands what you are looking for. All too often, agents will say anything to get your business. However, when you are buying, you do not pay any commission to an agent so it is in their interest to look at the property listings in the west Auckland are to see what will match your criteria. Then they can take you to open homes and help you negotiate a deal. It is only after the settlement that they are paid so by working with you, they are creating a future fee for themselves.
2) What is your purchase budget?
The first thing to do is to decide on your budget. How much can you afford to pay in mortgage repayments? You do not want to stretch yourself, especially if interest rates are going to rise. High mortgage payments can put a big strain on a family, which is usually unnecessary if you budget properly from the start.
3) What are the important features you want in your home?
Once you’ve found a real estate that you trust to help your family find a new home, you need to be specific about the different criteria and features that are important to your family. For example, how many bedrooms do you need? Is a big garden important? And so on.
4) Do you have any additional preferences?
The next step is to decide if there are any “nice-to-have” options you want. Maybe a double garage or a house that doesn’t need much maintenance.
5) What suburbs in west Auckland are you interested in?
The general area is a key factor. For example, do you want to be close to a certain school, or do you have an elderly relative that you want to be close to in case of emergency? These are key issues which will help the real estate agent home in on suitable properties for you to look at.
6) Let the real estate agent show you several houses
The next step is to actually go and look at some potential houses for your family. This can be a daunting process, especially if you have a few children to drag around too. It can be frustrating and sometimes people will simply say “yes” to a house just to get eh process over and done with. However, the old phrase, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure”, also applies to buying a home. A quick decision without thinking through all the options, can often be an expensive nightmare down the track. So be sure to look at a few places before you commit to buying one.
7) The purchase
Perhaps the most difficult part, and certainly for most people, the most daunting, is the price negotiation. Most people do not like to have to negotiate about money. Here, the real estate agent can help as they spend their working lives talking about large sums of money. Often of course, houses in west Auckland are sold at auction so the negotiation is somewhat less of a challenge but, many times, a buyer can be persuaded to accept a pre-auction offer so talk to your real estate agent about this option.
Selecting a real estate agent in west Auckland
There are lots of properties for sale in west Auckland and narrowing down the list to meet your requirements is a big task. So, as we can see from the above, it makes sense to work with an experienced real estate agent in west Auckland to help you find the perfect home for your family.
For more information and guidance, contact David Whitley, one of the leading real estate agents in the west Auckland area.