Searching for a new home as a buyer can be time consuming and take much effort. Attending a home showing can give you much insight into whether the property fits what you’re on the market for, however it’s ideal to use your time wisely. Home showings can take an hour or more, so it’s best to prepare beforehand to make the most of your time before and after a showing.
Putting together all the stats on the home
Before attending a home showing, one of the best ways to get raw details on the property is by pulling up the listing online. From here you can get access to key details such as listing price, how many rooms are in the property, square footage and much more.
You can figure out if the home is within your budget and has the space and amenities to accommodate you and your household. You can also see how long the property has been on the market, which may be an indication of its desirability to other potential home buyers.
Check out the neighborhood
Although the house itself may fit your home owning goals on paper, does the neighborhood match your expectations as well? Checking out the neighborhood ahead of time can give you a better picture of what life may appear like in that community.
Are there parks, schools and grocery stores nearby? Or perhaps the location is more remote and daily chores will require a bit of extra driving. Knowing this info can help in your decision to attend the home showing or foregoing it all together.
If the neighborhood is more than a few minutes of driving away, you can check out the home and its surroundings online via mapping tools that allow you to see the street view.
With a bit of preparation and planning, you can figure out important pieces of information before even setting foot in a home to help you decide if that property is worth viewing in person at all.
About the Author
Judy Szablak
With over 30 years in the industry, Realtor Judy Szablak has been on national television for her real estate expertise on the HGTV Network, featured on Martha Stewart Living Radio "Morning Living” , NPR radio as an expert real estate panelist, It’s Relevant News channel, and quoted in the Wall Street Journal for her in depth knowledge of Fairfield County Connecticut real estate.
She was also on the local NPR radio station (WSHU) as a Fairfield County CT real estate expert. Judy has provided multiple online respected news sources with her real estate expertise including The Daily Easton, The Daily Weston, The Daily Fairfield, The Daily Stamford and The Daily Greenwich, as well as in print in the New York Post. She is a weekly Real Estate Columnist for WestportNow.com, another real estate column "Real Estate With Judy” is syndicated through Hearst CT Media Online and seen in The Connecticut Post, The Danbury News-Times, The Stamford Advocate, The Greenwich Time, The Hour, Fairfield Citizen, Westport News, Darien News, New Canaan News and the Wilton Villager.
Judy is also the author of the book, The Art of Buying or Selling a Home, available at all major book retailers. Additionally, Judy has been nationally recognized in a number of national real estate trade magazines, some with distribution to over 1 million members. She was featured in Real Estate Today as early as 1994 for her commitment to, and implementation of technology in real estate. Judy appeared in the Certified Residential Specialist Magazine, as she provided advice on marketing strategies and ethics in the article titled "Marketing Makeovers.”
Judy was also featured in REALTOR® Magazine, regarding image enhancement for Realtors. She was again featured in REALTOR® Magazine, in an article on "Achieving Flow” and operating at optimal peak performance. In another article in the same publication, Judy offered guidance to fellow real estate professionals as she explored the topic of implementing and maintaining personal websites. She has appeared in The Council of Residential Specialists Magazine, which featured her ideas regarding technology. Additionally, Judy authored an article on marketing and technology for the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Online Magazine. On two occasions, in 2015 and 2017, she appeared as a featured agent in Top Agent Magazine. I have a few other websites- www.TheCtrealtyBlog.com www.CtHomesAndRealEstate.com www.BestWestportHomes.com www.ThePetitePowerhouse.com www,SzablakConsulting.com
