First Time Homebuying Tips for the First Visit

If you are a first time homebuyer, the home buying process may seem tedious and lengthy, but there is a way to manage it to ensure that you will be able to buy your dream home without headaches or regrets when you make your final purchase. There are some steps that you can take to ensure that your home purchase is the right one for you, and that you have scouted around for a sufficient amount of real estate property to choose from.

Your first visit to any of the homes for sale with a real estate agent is a key reference point when deciding what to buy, or what warrants another home inspection. Eric Tyson and Kevin Brown, authors of the book "Home Buying for Dummies" point out the importance of becoming an "educated buyer". Here are some things that you can do to be able help you make a better assessment of the homes for sale you may be visiting:

1. Take pictures of the homes for sale you visit. Capturing still images of the entire home from all points of view and the areas inside the home will greatly aid you to recall every single home for sale that you get to visit. Even if you can access a picture of the house on the internet, it is best to have your own personal file. Take close-up shots of the rooms, the back yard, the basement and the other areas so that you have all the material you need on hand when the time comes for you to decide which of the homes for sale to buy.

2. Study a map of the property and the surrounding landmarks. How close is the home to your place of work? To local schools? The nearest grocery store? You can use an interactive map to identify where the access points are to the highways and to the landmarks in the community are. This will serve as a guide to deciding if the home for sale is in a location will be convenient for you.

3. Take a good look at the surrounding area. How close is the home to the neighbors? Is there a fence between your prospective home and the adjacent property? Take the time to observe the other properties, the parked vehicles, and the lawn maintenance and landscaping features of the other homes nearby. This will allow you to get a general idea of the lifestyle of the community and the environment you might be moving into.

4. Identify three to four unique features of the property. If you plan on visiting several homes in one day, this activity will help to jog your memory when you get home to review the day. Identify three to four key features - pools, water features in the garden, an island in the kitchen, a loft-style bedroom - anything that makes that particular property stand out from the rest. This short list will help you keep track of the benefits of each of the properties you visit.

5. Rate each home for sale. Set up your own rating system so you can remove from your list homes for sale which do not meet with your criteria. A scale of 1 to 10 can be applied to the homes that you visit, and you can give a high rating like 9 or 10 to the ones that are to very much to your liking. This can help a first time home buyer make the home buying process shorter and easier.

A first time homebuyer can find the right home with complete confidence with the aid of these vital tips, a reliable real estate agent, or by means of searching the internet for homes for sales listings by state and city. Prepare for the real estate property visits that you will be doing so that you will be able to have compiled data to use for your important decision of which of the homes for sale to buy.

Looking for Minnesota houses for sale? A powerful resource for searching homes online is the Minnesota MLS, which allows you to search by price, neighborhood and many other important criteria.