Top Ten: Real Estate Tips

Most importantly, WE FOUND A HOUSE! Oh, yeah, and we close in 2 weeks. Let’s all sing a chorus of, “You’re crazy, man.” As a good friend of mine used to say at FFA about our national convention…50,000 people are coming whether we’re ready or not. So it is with the house. The movers and carpet layers will be there whether the boxes are taped shut and labeled or not. Crazy, here we come.

A quick dish on the house. The yard. Need I say more? As Scott says, it’s a blank slate. This is when those semi-minors in Horticulture at the Texas A&M shall come in handy.

I think it’s accurate to say that the house sale and hunt have been high drama. A buyer’s market is fun…for real estate agents. I’m just glad we plan to stay put for a few years. In an effort to share the real estate knowledge, here’s a few “fun” things we learned along the way…

TOP TEN: REAL ESTATE TIPS

1. Your house might sell faster than you imagined.

2. Even though your real estate agent makes a suggestion, doesn’t mean you have to hold it as the gospel truth. This is, quite honestly, your money and your decision.

3. Never say, “Oh, the home inspection is tomorrow and I’m not expecting any major repairs.”

4. When you have to re-roof a house prior to close, stay on people – your insurance company, the roofers, and the buyer’s agent.

5. Don’t be afraid to fire a roofer.

6. Hire a good – wait strike that – hire a GREAT home inspector on the house you buy. It is money well spent. Everytime.

7. Choose the things that are most important to you in a new home and don’t be willing to compromise. The house we found was the last one we looked at, on a whim, and it turned out to be fabulous.

8. Internet photos of houses aren’t always accurate.

9. When people offer to help, let them.

10. Embrace the chaos.