This four bedroom, three and one half bath home is ready for your busy family. The updated kitchen has tons of granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and is open to the fireside great room, both with access to the large rear deck and newly fenced rear yard.

The master suite is just that, SWEET! As you enter the large bedroom, you are greeted by the newly refaced gas log fireplace for romantic evenings! The large adjacent bath has just been updated and features separate vanities with new countertops, new cabinets and faucets, new beaded board walls, separate whirlpool tub and shower and a generous linen closet. Speaking of closets, the master closet is over 15 feet deep and has in addition, two walk-in attic storage rooms for out of season stuff or whatever you need easy access to.

Two other bedrooms, both freshly painted and one featuring a window seat, share a lovely beaded-board jack and jill bath.

The basement is finished with a fourth bedroom, full bath, large unfinished area for storage and a large den/rec room plus exercise room or office.

The main level has beautiful archways separating the great room from the front living room/office. The dining room is separated from the kitchen by another archway that leads you past the built-in china/bar storage area for easy entertaining in the center of the main level. A huge laundry room is just off the breakfast room and has a built in ironing board as well as plenty of shelves for storage.

The new wide entry stairs to this home makes a great first impression as you welcome guests to the covered front porch. The rear yard is freshly seeded and ready for kids or pets on this great cul-de-sac lot!

Priced at $315,000. this home is ready and waiting for it’s lucky new owners!

Interviewing agents on the phone or sitting down with at least two different agents to discuss what you are looking for and the time frame you have for looking at homes is a good way to decide who you feel most comfortable working with.

Availability
Do they work on weekends? If you are coming from out of town, you don’t want to be sitting in a motel room waiting for an agent who doesn’t work when you need to look at homes. If they aren’t available, do they have a team member or broker who will be available in their absence?

Willingness to listen to your needs is most important. Just as in chosing any other professional, you want to be sure this is someone you trust and feel will listen to you and your wants and needs.

Ask for references of buyers they have worked with in the past and call them!

Signing a buyer’s brokerage agreement will assure your agent will work for YOU. Many folks think working with many different agents is better as it’s more agents working for you, but in fact the opposite is true. None of them will work hard for you if they are not sure they will indeed be the one you write the contract with. And none will be committed to you either. It’s a two-way street.

Many factors should play into your decision of where you want to live, such as:

• price range
• commutes to work
• any special needs with schools
• size of neighborhood you’d like
• proximity to shopping, services
• Any desired amenities of the neighborhood or house
• age / design of home you’d like

Making a list of what is your most important needs/wants and prioritizing this list is a great exercise for your family and will help your agent tremendously.

Your agent can then use this list to set criteria for searches in the multiple listing service and find homes that match. The ability to look at homes online this way will then help you narrow down your choices.

Take a drive through some of the neighborhoods your agent has sent you if you live locally and get a feel for the areas.

If you are moving from out of town, the internet is a great source of information and a good agent can also direct you to websites that will help you compare school scores, communities and recreactional and social aminities you may desire based on the list you have provided.

The more information you give your agent about your wants/needs, the more help they can be.

When you have your choices narrowed down, it’s time to go see some homes.

Taking a camera with you is a great way to remember different features of different homes. Start each set with the mailbox or house numbers as well as the exterior of the home so you don’t get confused later. Take pictures of both positive and negative aspects.

Make written notes and communicate with your agent on what you like or dislike about each home. This will help them understand further what you like and don’t like and will save both of you time.

Choosing the right agent can help you along the process much more smoothly. They should be ready to refer you to professionals such as additional lenders to compare rates and programs and any inspectors needed once you decide on the right home for you.

Armed with your pre-approval letter and your offer, you are on your way to owning your dream. Once you have a binding agreement, your next step is getting your home inspector, which we’ll cover in part 3 of our series next week!