Buying a Starter Home

Remote Home Buying 101

7 March 2017

Capucine Leroux

If circumstances have forced you to search out and purchase a home from a remote location, you should know that while it can be more of challenge, it is far from impossible. If you have the right real estate agent and know some of the tips and tricks below, you can make the best of the situation and find that perfect home no matter how far away you live from it. To learn more, read on.

Do your homework first: You will, at some point, need to do an in-person visit to view a home or two, but you can help ensure that you make the most of your time by doing some advance homework. Real estate listing websites abound, but you can take that a step further and go deeper when it comes to other important issues. 

Use a mapping site (like Google maps) to see exactly where that potential candidate home lies from your work location, kid's school, public transportation, shopping, and more. For example, the real estate listing site may not indicate that you will have a major interstate highway adjoining your back yard. If you spend time outdoors, noise could be an issue. Use the map to "drive around" your new neighborhood and city. Seeing what your neighbor's homes and yards look like could be a big factor for you and help to explain why the home seems like such a great bargain.

Check the pertinent stats by researching sites like City-Data, which can provide you with helpful information about crime, median incomes, median ages, weather, air quality, and more. Be sure to access the super helpful community board before leaving the site, where you can find information about places from people who actually live there already.

Get some much needed help with identifying the quality of local schools by visiting sites like Great Schools. For those without school-aged children, don't miss the opportunity to find out how your home's resale values could be affected by the qualify of nearby schools.

Have a partner on the ground: Just as with a local home search, your must-have is a good real estate agent. Make sure your agent knows from the beginning of your plans to buy a home from a distance. Your local agent will be a font of local knowledge and must be your eyes, ears, and gut-feelings during this process. You will likely have more questions than usual in this situation, and you need to know that your agent is prepared to be contacted several different ways, such as by phone, text, email, and Skype.

For more information, contact local professionals like Amy Willis & Associates LLC.

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