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House Hunting Tips |
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Compare Homes
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Compare Homes
Before you make a decision, you should compare your
wants and needs. Also look at the short-term and
long-term costs associated with each house you're
considering. Are the appliances in good condition? What
about the back yard? What are commuting costs?
Use written descriptions of each home - from your
worksheets or your real estate agent - to help you
compare. Revisit your wants vs. needs worksheet [PDF 97K
]. And don't forget to look at your neighborhood wants
vs. needs worksheet [PDF 79K ].
Making An OfferOnce you've found the right
home, you'll need to make an educated offer. Knowing a
home's real value can help you make a fair offer. A
home's value is determined by:
Sale price history.
You can get the home's past sale prices through
county courthouses and recorder's offices, many of which
have this public information also available online. You
can also check with your real estate agent. See if the
value has risen or fallen over time.
Home characteristics.
The number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage,
and other characteristics greatly affect the value. In
many cases, the seller and their agent provide this
information to all prospective buyers. You can also get
this information from the tax assessor's office.
Similar home prices.
Ask your real estate agent for sale prices of
comparable homes in the same neighborhood.
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