When some buyers start the home buying process in College Station or Bryan, they feel unprepared or stressed about the process of finding and buying a new home. To a lot of customers, the home buying process can be mysterious, complicated, and even scary.
The truth is that buying a home is difficult. But it doesn’t have to be hard.
As a home buyer in the College Station and Bryan, TX market, you need to be prepared to move quickly. The Texas real estate market is very busy right now and most homes aren’t spending a lot of time on the market.
In order to make your home buying process easier, here are 4 things to know when you buy Bryan/College Station real estate.
Work with an Experienced BCS Realtor
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1. Know Your Budget
Because College Station real estate tends to move quickly, it’s important that you have a very clear figure of what you can afford to spend going into this process. If you’re looking at homes and wishy washy on the price you can afford, it is going to throw wrenches in the gears during the decision-making process. In many cases, my clients have less than 48 hours to make a decision to move into the contracting phase and if you’re having to go back and forth with your lender to clear a price, there’s a good chance that you’re going to miss out on a lot of opportunities.
My best advice is to clearly get your budget set from the get go with your preferred mortgage lender. That way, there are no surprises down the road.
2. Know What You Want, But Be Prepared to Be Flexible
The College Station real estate market has a lot to offer to everyone, so there’s a good chance that you can find a home that offers the design, lifestyle, and price point that you’re looking for. BUT – the housing market moves quickly, so there isn’t a lot of time for homebuyers to waffle back and forth on whether or not a home is the perfect fit for them.
Chances are, homes aren’t going to check every box you have. Some homes have the price point, but maybe they lack the lifestyle. Others might offer some of your choice amenities, but might not be at the price point. Ultimately, it’s my advice that you be prepared to be flexible on some of your property needs. Here’s a hierarchy of how to make certain decisions, from most important to less important:
- Price point
- Location or commute
- Quality of schools
- Community amenities and/or lifestyle
- Architectural requirements and property features
Know this: you can build and remodel any property, but you can’t very easily change location or find properties within a certain price point, so those considerations typically come first. When you’re approaching a purchase with necessarily a price cap, you can be more flexible with lifestyle and feature considerations.
3. Get to Know Your Contracts
To be honest, the home search process is the easiest and most enjoyable part. When you put an offer in and things move into the contract phase is when many buyers get stressed and overwhelmed. It can seem like you have nearly an endless amount of forms and papers to sign.
My advice for those who will have apprehension about the paperwork associated with the home buying process is to familiarize yourself with everything you’re signing.
Real estate purchase agreements can be difficult to navigate on your own, which is why we’re recommending #4 below. Here are just a few components that are part of your typical real estate purchase agreement:
- Buyer and seller information
- Property details
- Pricing and financing
- Contract contingencies
- Fixtures and appliances included/excluded in the sale
- Closing and possession dates
- Earnest money deposit amount
- Closing costs and who is responsible for paying
- Conditions under which the contract can be terminated
- Contingencies or conditions that must be met for the sale to go through
You can do your own research into what goes into a real estate purchase agreement, but the best way to familiarize yourself is to ask your College Station realtor.
4. Work With a Skilled Realtor
The best piece of advice I can give College Station homebuyers is to work with an experienced and skilled realtor in the area you’re looking to buy. When it comes to the Bryan/College Station area, no one knows more about historic home prices, neighborhood information, and the contracting process as much as Judy Sweat.
Don’t waste your time in the dark by shopping for homes yourself or working with someone who doesn’t have the experience. Get in touch with Judy Sweat below and start your College Station property search today!
