Like a Rolling Stone: The House Hunt

In Person
At some point you will need to physically go looking at the houses and area you have selected. You will be surprised by the some of the houses that look so good in the photos but so bad in person! The sense of the neighborhood is hard to pick up from photos or internet searches as well. You simply have to go in person!

Buying Direct from the Owner
You will make your own contacts to see houses For Sale by Owner. Many of them have open houses or stipulated viewing times during the week. Some are shown by neighbors or friends if the owners are absentee. The good thing about buying directly from an owner is you are by-passing the intermediary agent, and the price of these homes is less because you are not paying a commission to the real estate agents (6% is customary in WA although that is changing rapidly). The downside of purchasing this way is that you need to be aware of the steps necessary, be your own advocate and be prepared to work with a real estate attorney and a title company directly, as needed, to accomplish a satisfactory deal.

Buying through Agents
When you are ready, you can click the button for more information and start interviewing and sorting through the different agents that call you. Or if you already have a recommendation of an agent in the area, that is even better. If you are looking in more than one MLS region you will need to contact a real estate agent within each MLS region. They know most about their region and have ready access and agreements between agents that allow them to easily schedule showings within their own MLS regions. Outside their regions, it gets trickier because they have to actually call the listing agent and coordinate getting the keys and it just gets more complicated. They also tend to want to stay within the area that they are most familiar, which is better for the buyer.

We looked at several houses for sale by owner, but ultimately we wanted to look at houses represented by agents. So, we chose two different agents to show us houses in two different areas. There are lots of agents and you need to pick someone you feel comfortable working with. Since we were working from a distance, we needed someone willing to stick with us over a period of weeks while we search, then make themselves available when we were able to physically go out of state to look.

Some agents are pushier than others; some are in a hurry and when they find out you aren't looking next week, they aren't interested. Some specialize in high-end housing and some specialize with certain types of housing (senior communities, for example, or condos in the city). At any rate, you will have plenty of agents to choose from, so be picky and interview them to figure out what will work best for you.

Open Houses
Open houses are a great way to overview a lot of houses in one area in a short amount of time. Get the local newspaper on Friday and it will list all the open houses on the weekend. You can pick up paperwork at each house and then go back later for a closer look if you find one you like. Open Houses sponsored by listing agents will be hosted by a real estate agent who is on hand to answer question and you can count on them to follow up with a phone call later in the week.

As the time approached for our house hunting trip we decided to look in the suburbs of Kansas City and around the Topeka area plus the small towns in between. These areas are greener and more hilly than around Wichita, and it is more pasture land rather than farm land, so more favorable for my allergies and asthma.

We lined up appointments for a solid week of looking everyday. Finally on the last day, we found our house! It is just perfect for us. I am still pinching myself that I have come the complete circle to the place where I am so excited about this move and the new house. In fact, this place is our dreams! We have always wanted to live on a lake. The Lord is saying to me, "See I want to bless you both".

It is out in the country on Lake Perry with .8 acres of wooded property. Yet it is in a subdivision with a golf course, clubhouse, pool, restaurant, park, playground, and cohesive homeowner's association, and, just 20 miles easy drive to Topeka or Lawrence for doctors and shopping. The house has an awesome view of the lake from the large deck and a full walk out basement for grandchildren, parties and hobby space.