This is what Christmas night looked like in our household, much to Rose’s chagrin. I got my Louisiana real estate license in March, and we’ve been looking at homes almost every day since. Sometimes, we completely geek out and hook it up to the big screen. Are we excited about moving to New Orleans? Heck yes! Is this behavior obsessive? Perhaps. Are you judging? I’m sure you are, but there’s a good reason for our for our…um…focus.
Whether you’re moving to another part of town or following your head and heart 1,300 miles away like we are, making a smart buying decision begins with research. Ours started with a weekend of touring open houses in November of ’18, and we probably won’t close on our new place until March of 2020. That’s certainly longer than usual, but we’ve used all this time to zero in on a handful of neighborhoods, get a feel for how long homes typically stay on the market and figure out the average ratio of sold price to asking price. It didn’t take long to get the base of knowledge we need to spot an overpriced listing that’s going to sit for a while and what constitutes real value.
Here’s the good news. If that all sounds as exciting as waiting for a pothole to be filled, that’s why I’m here. I actually dig doing research and I dig it even more when I’m doing it to help other people. When I first talk with buyers, a lot of them sound apologetic if they aren’t ready to make on offer on a home rightthisveryminute. It’s as if I can only be bothered with the writing of a contract, and couldn’t possibly trifle with all of the silly little stuff that happens beforehand. That “stuff” is the most important part of buying of a home — research — and I’ll insist that we do ours before an offer is made so you can have confidence in your decision.
