Play the Game of Nines When Buying Your Next Home

Before house hunting in Lancaster, Pa, make a list of nine things you want in the new place.  Then make a list of the nine things you don’t want. I call this “NINE OF THIS AND NONE OF THAT”. You can use this list as a scorecard to rate each property that you see. The one with the biggest score wins! This helps avoid confusion and keeps things in perspective when you’re comparing dozens of homes in Lancaster.

When house hunting, keep in mind the difference between “SKIN AND BONES”.  The BONES are things that cannot be changed such as the location, view, size of lot, noise in the area, school district, and floor plan. The SKIN represents easily changed surface finishes like carpet, wallpaper, color, and window coverings. Buy the house with good BONES, because the SKIN can always be changed to match your tastes. We always recommend that you imagine each house as if it were vacant. Consider each house on its underlying merits, not the seller’s decorating skills.

Don’t Be Pushed Into Any House

Your agent should show you everything available that meets your requirements.  Don’t make a decision on a house until you feel that you’ve seen enough to pick the best one. Go to the Lancaster County Multiple Listing computer with your agent to make sure that you are getting a COMPLETE list of homes for sale and not just the home that the agent "wants" to show you.

In the late 1980’s, homes were selling quickly, usually a few days after listing. In that kind of market, agents advised their clients to make an offer ON THE SPOT if they liked the house. That was good advice at the time.  Today there isn’t always this urgency, unless a home is drastically under priced, and you’ll know if it is.  But keep in mind, if you wait to long there is always a chance of the house selling before you get your offer to the seller. If you really like a house, get an offer written and make sure your agent writes in the proper clauses to get you out of the offer.

Don’t forget to check into the SCHOOL DISTRICTS of the area you’re considering.  Information is available on every school; such as class sizes, % of students that go on to college, SAT scores, etc. You can get this information from your agent or directly from the school.

Stop Calling on Ads

A word of caution - agents create ads solely to make the phone ring! Many of the homes have some drawback that’s not mentioned in the ad, such as traffic noise, power lines, or litigation in the community. What’s not mentioned in the ad is usually more important than what is.

For this reason, we want you to be very careful when reading ads about real estate in Lancaster, Pa. Remember that the person writing the ad is representing the seller and not you!  The most important thing you can do is have someone on your side looking out for your best interests. Your own agent will critique the property with an eye towards how well it meets your needs and will point out any drawbacks you should know about.

So whether you decide to work with Brandon Clark or not, pick an agent you feel comfortable with and enlist the services of that agent as a buyer’s broker. Then you become a client with all the rights, benefits, and privileges created by this agency relationship, and you’re no longer just a shopper.  Did you know that many homes are sold WITHOUT A SIGN ever going up or an AD EVER BEING PUT IN THE PAPER? These “great deals” go to those people who are committed to working with one agent. When an agent hears of a great buy, who do you think he’s going to call? His client, who he has a legal obligation to work hard for you, or someone who just called on the phone and said “keep your eyes open”? So, to get the best buy on a property, we always recommend that you hire your own agent and stick with him or her.

Stay Tuned For Part 3!

Brandon Clark

Gateway Realty Inc

717-682-7353

www.LancasterNewHom.com