Tag: finding a home

3 Ways to Find A Property in Mission Viejo

Posted on | by Cuselleration

It’s not hard to find a property in Mission Viejo if you know what you’re doing. Unfortunately, most of us don’t! That’s more common than most people think, but we’re going to arm you with some information to make your home search much easier.

Searching Online

First and foremost, we suggest looking for homes online. This works for you in two major ways; you’ll see what the advertised prices are and get a feel for what home styles are are available in the areas you’re looking. When trying to find a property in Mission Viejo, we suggest looking at an MLS site (multiple listing service.)

The huge benefit to searching MLS is the granddaddy of home information. In fact, they contain information that no other newspaper or online listing will have. You can sign up for emails through an agent, but even these emails won’t be very detailed when compared to the information that an agent will get from the website.

This is just the way it is, but you will be getting a more inside scoop on what is available than you would on other consumer websites. This brings us to our next big tip…

Get A Realtor

Hiring a realtor is going to be the number one way to find a property in Mission Viejo, for the exact reason that we just talked about. They have access to resources that the average person just doesn’t. The other important thing they can do for you is help you find a home by your preferences.

Knowing what type of home you like and what you require from your home is a crucial step in the process. Not knowing these details is ok, that’s why getting a real estate agent is so important. Talking about the styles you like and the needs of your home will allow them to narrow the search scope so that you’ll only be looking at homes that are a good fit.

Another important thing to consider is your plans for the future. You may not have any plans cemented in your head yet, but a realtor knows the questions to ask to better place you in a home that will fit the needs of your future household.

If you don’t have kids but are planning to, or you plan on getting an English Mastiff and are looking at homes without a yard, your realtor can steer you in a direction better suited for your family down the road.

Be Honest With Yourself

Being honest about your wants and needs is the most important thing about the home buying process. It is, of course, important to be able to make enough to pay the mortgage, but if you know in your heart that you are going to be spending big on lavish trips or shopping for a wedding, that might be something you want to do before signing a mortgage. The last thing you want to do is set yourself to fail.

Another thing that happens often is people get wrapped up in a good deal and don’t consider the possibility that they might be unhappy in that home. Getting a home at a steal is incredible when it happens.

But, if it doesn’t fit the needs of your future household or catch your interest, then maybe your should pass. The only time we think that it is a good idea to go ahead and get a property that you aren’t interested in living in is if you’re planning on flipping it or renting it out.

Lastly, don’t buy a fixer-upper home if you don’t have the know-how or capital to fix it up! It might be fun to find a property in Mission Viejo at a huge discount, but if you’re planning on doing a “Do It Yourself” renovation, and you have no experience in DIY home repairs, you may want to rethink the situation.

Buying product to fix a home can add up, especially if errors occur and you need to buy it a second or third time. Also, if you haven’t done a home makeover and are hiring someone to do it for you, just know that quotes on the home renovation tend to always be under the actual amount and they don’t typically stay on schedule.

That’s just the nature of home improvements because once you start, you generally find more issues than you thought were there at the onset. Do yourself a favor and be honest with yourself and your expectations before going all in!

We Can Help!

If you’re still trying to find a home in Mission Viejo and need a little help from a professional, please call us at 949-350-0146 or email us at Debrakovacs@cox.net and we can discuss your future dream home!

How to Locate the Top Realtor for Finding a Home Near You

Posted on | by Cuselleration

Getting the perfect new home isn’t an easy task, which is why you need to hire the top realtor for finding a home in your area right away. But just how do you find the top realtor when each and everyone claims to be so great?

There are a few ways to separate the best from the rest that we think will really help you out with your search.

A Long Time in Business

It may not be the absolute best marker because it is unfair to the newer realtors who might be incredible, but it is effective. Real estate agents that have been in business for a long time are successful; otherwise they would be out of business.

There is one obvious drawback to using this method we should mention, however. It isn’t just the company they work for that you should be paying attention to, but the realtor themselves. If they work at a big national real estate company, and they have been a realtor for 12 years, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve been with them for 12 years.

Find out if the realtor you are considering has been with the same company for a while or if they have been bouncing around from place to place. It may just happen that they are new to this company and could have a poor record previously.

The opposite may also be true, but find out through casual conversation how long they’ve been around at their current company.

In the smaller realty companies, particularly with the name of one or more realtors in the company name, it’s usually a pretty safe bet that if they share the name is on the door that they are good. The only way to get your own realty company is by making a good amount of money doing exactly what you want them to do in order to afford to get their business started.

The Credentials to Prove It!

When it comes to finding a home, a top realtor will likely have gotten some awards along the way. When you meet with them in their office, all you will have to do is look around. Most will have their license and awards posted all around on the walls.

Those that have quite a few awards on display usually have a good deal of skill, as they don’t just hand them out to everyone. Don’t get us wrong, if they don’t have awards all around that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But having some awards is undeniably a huge bonus!

You may also want to quickly walk around the room and take a look at all of the awards. We’ve never heard of anyone putting up fake awards to impress potential clients, but these days you can’t be too careful.

While you’re taking a look around, check to make sure the license is real and everything is up to date. Again, it doesn’t hurt to be careful.

Ask Your Friends

We know you’ve probably heard to ask for a referral a thousand times, but we suggest only asking specific friends for their recommendations. Who do we think is the best to ask? The friends of yours who have bought and sold a house at least once if not multiple times.

Knowing people who upgrade their home every few years or that flip homes is a great source of information. If they have a trusted realtor in your area, you can be pretty sure that they are at the very least up to the challenge.

The friends that don’t live in the area might be able to ask their realtors opinion about who to go with in your area. The real estate world may seem huge, but for the most part, it’s actually a pretty tight knit community. This is great news for you!

Since everyone knows each other, it is a pretty sure bet that your realtor will either know the top realtor for finding a home in your area, or know who the best is. This is an excellent way to slim down the competition without having to do a lot of legwork.

You may want to ask your parents or your neighbor with the house slightly better than yours, but if they haven’t done multiple real estate transactions, don’t bother. They will usually point you in the direction of their real estate agent, and they might not even know if they actually did a good job or not.

Still Not Sure?

The top realtor for finding a home in your town will likely be the top at selling homes as well. That’s because they will usually be the best, and have the best team working with them.

If you’re looking for the top realtor for finding a home near you, call us at 949-350-0146 or email us at Debrakovacs@cox.net or realestatebyrana@gmail.com and we’ll help you get a home today!