5 Stress and Time-Saving Tips for House Hunters in King, Pierce, and Thurston Counties
If you’re adding house hunting to home, work, recreation, and the other commitments that make your world go ’round, and you are also in the midst of looking at new homes for sale in King, Pierce or Thurston County, you’re likely at an all time busier level of “busy!”
With that in mind, we came up with this list of time saving tips for house hunting we hope will make your search for a new home the south Puget Sound region just a little bit easier. These tips can lead to a successful house hunting process even if you’re short on time and know-how.
1. Get pre-approved for a home loan
Getting home loan mortgage pre-approval is one of the biggest time saving tips for house hunters there is. You don’t want to fall in love with a house only to find outit’s outside of your price range, nor do you want to be in a situation where you’ve maybe even sold your own home or given up your lease, only to find out that you can’t qualify for a home loan for some reason, or that there’s going to be a delay in the process that will put you (literally) out of house and home, having to rent while you wait for your mortgage application to be processed.
Another plus of getting pre-approved for a home loan is that you have more buying power with home sellers. Given competing offers on a house, sellers should be more inclined to work with the buyer who provides proof of home loan eligibility than one who doesn’t. It might even help you get more from negotiations.
Whether or not you’re buying a new home in one of our communities or elsewhere, our preferred lenders can walk you through the pre-approval process and help you get started on the road to home ownership – you’ll be amazed at the high level of service and speed which they deliver. They have special experience in new home construction loans that can make the process go more smoothly, and quickly.
2. Pin-point new home communities in cities and even neighborhoods where you most want to live
Thanks to today’s technology, it’s more than possible to narrow your focus down to new home developments in King County, Pierce County and Thurston County that best fit your needs for:
- commute to work
- the school district and schools you want your children to attend
- distance from friends, family or loved ones
- community amenities, such as health care, restaurants, entertainment and retail shopping
- proximity to outdoor recreation areas you most enjoy
3. Make a list of the features you want most in your new home
There are many good reasons that you should be focused on new home communities (vs. previously owned homes). Being the first to own and live in a new home usually means you have a lot less to worry about, because everything in your new home is – well – new! You can save time in your new house hunting process by making a list of the features that are most important to you, and then ranking them according to whether they are “must haves” or “would be nice to haves” or on a scale of importance with ranking factor of, say, 1 to 5, with 5 being critical and 1 being nice, but not necessary.
4. Take pictures of all of the homes you visit
Many people find house hunting enjoyable, and want to see as many options as possible. It can be really fun to look at new homes, but if you see a lot of homes (or plan to see a lot of new homes for sale) during your house hunting process, it can also be easy to lose track of which house had which great feature.
When you’re out house hunting, take photos so that you can match them up at home with any literature, floor plans, folders and other materials you gathered while looking at new homes for sale. This way, you’ll be able to remember which new homes you liked best, which you want to visit again, or which can be crossed off your list of possible new homes to buy.
5. Measure your own furnishings, media, artwork and other treasures
What pieces of furniture will you be planning to take with you when you move into your new home? If you measure treasured and favorite bedroom pieces, artwork, media, entry way furnishings, dining table, couch or sectional, family heirlooms like china cabinets or items used for entertaining such as wine storage, etc. before you are out house hunting, you’ll be better able to rule out homes which can’t accommodate your “must keep” heirlooms, furnishings, art and other treasures.
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Soundbuilt Homes has been building new homes in King, Pierce and Thurston County for more than three decades. We have a real understanding of what people are looking for when they are looking at new home developments and new homes for sale in the south sound region.