Searching for a Home

After hiring your agent and discussing your wants and needs, the agent will send you lists of homes in your area and price range for you to look at and decide if a visit is in order. This information is compiled by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

The NWMLS is a member driven service comprised of the real estate companies in your area. The NWMLS is where all new listings are entered on a daily basis for you and your agent to review. Your agent will be looking at more detailed information than you will, but will be available to answer questions about the listing when you need more information. In addition, most real estate firms have websites, as do most agents. These will provide you another source to search for property. The data-base is from the NWMLS and simply provides you the ability to look for property your agent may have missed.

Driving the neighborhood you are interested in is also another good way to find property you might want to see. Giving a list of these to your agent will allow him/her to make appointments for you to go in and see these properties up close.

Open houses are also a great way to see property in your area of interest. Not only is it good to see properties you have a high interest in, but those you don’t have interest in will give you a good idea of what is going on in the neighborhood in relationship to price and value.

Remember, that while you may want to see a house immediately when you find one of interest, the owners have rights to privacy and may have asked that appointments be scheduled for the visitation of their property. As a courtesy you should always give your agent sufficient time to contact the owners and find out the circumstance around showing the property.