4 Tips to Find Your Dream Home

There is more to Alabama than college football. Even if you’re not big on football, you can still take advantage of one of the area’s ample higher education offerings. You will experience great music, many festivals, pristine sandy beaches, and housing costs are low. The median home value in Montgomery is just under $120,000. Mobile has the 22nd-lowest cost of living in the United States. Birmingham homes for sale cost around $170,000, which is about 9% lower than the national average. Below are four tips for finding your dream home.

1.  Work with a realtor

Experienced Realtors have gone through many purchases and assisted clients in many different situations in both the buying and selling process. They can save you a considerable amount of time and, potentially, money. Your realtor will share MLS with you, and you can view many homes online before driving out to view a house in person. Many times, with a little research, you can eliminate many properties that are a waste of time. Instead of visiting 50 homes, you may only need to see 8.

2.  Be realistic

Be realistic about the pricing. It’s going to limit the features you can afford when shopping for your new home. If you want a three-bedroom home with at least 2,600 square feet, but your budget is more in line with a two-bedroom home of 2,000 square feet, you’ll have to make some compromises. There will always be compromises when buying a house.

3.  Neighborhood

There’s a saying in real estate that it’s all about location, location, location. It’s cliché, but there’s a lot of truth in it. This is especially important to consider if you have kids. What is the school district like? Do your kids have to switch schools, does this area feed into a good district to give your children a high-quality education? How far is the new house from your primary care doctor or dentist? Safety comes first for you and your family. You want to make sure you live in an area where you have peace of mind. Drive through the neighbourhood at different times of the day and week. This lets you know what goes on and what type of activity you can expect.

4.  Be flexible

Think outside the box, be open to different home styles. You may be open with a certain type of architecture or having a big porch, but you don’t want to obsess on it and overlook the otherwise perfect house that’s missing that one particular feature. You can always add to or remodel to add to your home. Stay flexible, be willing to compromise, and you’ll be sure to find your dream home.