If you’re like millions of people every day, you find THE House for you and your family but don’t have a good idea what to do next. You scroll through Zillow.com or MyTuscaloosaHomeSearch.com (for better local results) and you look at house after house. You get the alerts showing you what’s just hit the market for what you want, enticing you to make a move or inquire.

And then about 1,000 things go through your mind and you don’t quite know where to start…

Sound familiar? Find the perfect house, but then you think about your house, financing, credit, packing, is that backyard really big enough for the kids and the dog?

We totally understand. We talk with clients every day with the same questions - so know you are not alone and there is help!

The goal of this article - maybe you just narrow down some next steps a little and you can find some comfort towards getting moving towards that new home.

COMPARE - COUNT - COST - CALL

COMPARE - Compare the sq footage of the home you’re looking at against the home you’re in. You need to make 100% sure the new home fits what you’ve got, or what you plan on moving in. We work with clients who think the house they like will work, only when we start measuring and stepping off, they see the house looks good online - but doesn’t fit in person. And a house you can’t fit into is a house you shouldn’t buy unless you’re ready to make renovations or get rid of furniture. So just make sure the sq footage of the house you like is big enough for you and all that’s in your life.

COUNT - Be sure there are enough rooms, not just bedrooms. Look at the pics online and for sure count the bedrooms. Then count the rooms with a sink so you can count the bathrooms. You’d be surprised the number of times a house might have a bathroom that isn’t in the profile details. Look for the dining room, if you have dining room furniture. Look at the furniture in the living room, will yours fit and if not, do they offer a den or office? If you’ve been working from home and living in a 4 bedroom / 3 bathroom home, look for a bonus room or office - you might need to change your search to a 5 bedroom so you have the space you need.

Pro-Tip - Count the cabinet doors and drawers. That will give you a pretty accurate idea as to the kitchen size, just from the pics. You’ll know if your kitchen will fit that one just by counting the cabinets!

COST - You need to know how much you owe on your current home, how much cash you have to put towards THE Home, so you can get a clearer picture of any new mortgage total. If you’re like most people, you’ve got cash on hand for a down payment, but based on what your house could sell for will determine if you need to bring that into consideration. But you need your current home payoff amount, so when you sell your home you’ll know how much equity you can roll into the new home, which lets you know your new mortgage.

Then, find a mortgage calculator online and enter some numbers so you get a ballpark idea what you’ll owe and what your payment will be. That’s not a guaranteed payment amount, it’s purely a sanity check.

(You can only truly know what your mortgage payment will be AFTER talking to a mortgage lender. If you want to speak to some lenders, we have some great folks info we can provide you. They can answer your questions better and get you a true payment amount on THE Home.)

CALL - Now that you’re sure the house is the right size and everything you want to move into it will fit, and all the $ questions have been asked and answered, it’s time for you to talk to someone who can answer all the home searching questions, and all the other questions you’ve had:

• "I think I know what I'd sell my house for, will it really sell for that $ amount?"
• “I’ve seen houses in this neighborhood sell for X, will mine sell for Y?"
• "Do I need to paint the walls?”
• “Should I get that squeaky door fixed?"
• “Do I keep my fridge if I sell?”
• “Would they leave the fridge if I buy THE House?”
• “What about closing costs?”

If you’ve thought of any of these questions when looking at THE Home, then you should call our office so someone on our team can help you with any question you have. We offer a true No Hassle, No Obligation conversation. It won’t cost you anything other than the time it takes to get your questions answered. 

Just call our office and ask to speak with a Realtor on our team, and we’ll help you any way possible. 

205-861-0555

www.MyTuscaloosaHomeSearch.com - Accurate, Local Home Listing & Information