Looking, Learning, not quite shopping

[Shelli Koren]

Hi there, 

My husband and I are in early stages of working towards financial independence. We recently paid off all credit card debt, for example! Wahoo! 

We are very interested in saving up for a house hack, but don't have the savings for buying yet because all extra funds are going towards other debt pay-down. 

However, I want to learn about the market, get tours of homes, scope out the neighborhoods, etc. 

Should I work with a real estate agent to find places and build my education? Or can I just attend open houses whenever I like? I feel like an agent will begin to push us to buy before we really can afford it, but maybe there are some out there who wouldn't mind sharing knowledge with us when we're not quite a customer yet. 

Let me know what you think! 

Thanks!

[Josh Milewski]

Quote from @Shelli Koren:

Hi there, 

My husband and I are in early stages of working towards financial independence. We recently paid off all credit card debt, for example! Wahoo! 

We are very interested in saving up for a house hack, but don't have the savings for buying yet because all extra funds are going towards other debt pay-down. 

However, I want to learn about the market, get tours of homes, scope out the neighborhoods, etc. 

Should I work with a real estate agent to find places and build my education? Or can I just attend open houses whenever I like? I feel like an agent will begin to push us to buy before we really can afford it, but maybe there are some out there who wouldn't mind sharing knowledge with us when we're not quite a customer yet. 

Let me know what you think! 

Thanks!

I've experienced both an agent that tried to push me into a sale before i was ready and an agent willing to wait until I was ready. I feel like a good agent will be willing to wait for you because who'd turn down a potential sale in the future? That said I'd be upfront with them and be aware that you may be lower on the priority list because you're not actively looking to buy.