In major cities like Sydney, the demand for houses and apartments is currently higher than supply which is resulting in a scarcity of properties, driving prices up and greater competition for affordable houses in desired locations. Without the right strategy, it can take you months or even years to find the perfect family home. Here are seven creative ways to look outside the classifieds, find your dream home and start building towards your future.
Use a buyers’ agent
Using a buyers’ agent can save you emotional stress, time and money when buying a family home. Buyers’ agents can inspect properties first and make sure they fit your criteria and can show you properties not yet listed on the market via their network of contacts. Using a buyer’s agent can take the stress out of buying a family home and their knowledge of the home buyer’s market coupled with their negotiation skills can potentially save you a lot of time, money and stress.
Door knocking campaign
If you have your heart set on a chosen street or suburb, a door knocking campaign or leaflet drop could help you secure the family home of your dreams. Stick leaflets into letterboxes, tuck them beneath windscreen wipers of parked cars or distribute the flyers at auctions held in the area. Some people may be thinking about putting their house on the market but sitting on their white picket fence and undecided about whether to sell. Selling a home directly to a buyer may be an attractive proposition to a would be house seller and motivate them into selling their home.
Contact local real estate agents
Contact the local real estate agents in your preferred area, give them a wish list, let them know you are a committed buyer and that you have all your finances in place. It is important to build a good relationship with real estate agents. Make sure you follow up with real estate agents so you are on their radar, they are aware that you are still looking for a property and can contact you when there is a property coming up for sale that fits your criteria and budget.
Sign up to Internet alerts
Make sure you sign up to real estate websites such as www.domain.com.au and www.realestate.com.au so you can be alerted when new properties come onto the market. With the email alerts, you can specify your budget, your desired area or location, number of bedrooms, parking spots required and other essential criteria. However, don’t rely solely on these alerts. Make sure you are checking the website daily as only selected real estate listings will be emailed to you.
Networking
Tell everyone you know that you are looking for a family home and this includes utilising social networks such as Facebook or Twitter. Through seven degrees of separation, they may know someone who is selling their home in your ideal area or they may be driving down the road and may happen to see a ‘For Sale’ sign on a property within your desired location. The more people you speak to at your workplace, your gym, local pub or even your local train station, the more likely you are to find your dream home and narrow down your search.
Drive around the area
By simply driving around your desired location preferably on a Saturday morning, you may see homes listed for sale by various real estate agents, a house may be open for an inspection or you may find local real estate agencies that you can speak to you about your search for a family home. Drop into the local pub, restaurant or cafe and speak to the owners about your desire to buy a property in the area and leave your details. These people are often the ‘eyes and ears’ of the community and may know someone who wants to sell their house.
Broaden your search
If you have been looking for a property in a certain area for over six months, it may simply mean that the property with your desired criteria simply does not exist for your price range. At the start of your search, make sure you do research and find out whether the location you wish to purchase in is affordable. This alone can save you months of frustration. You may need to broaden your search and look further afield for properties in surrounding areas or other regions or allocate additional funds to purchase a property.
The search for the ‘Great Australian Dream’ does not need to turn into a nightmare by being proactive about your house search. Follow these tips and you may be saying ‘home sweet home’ sooner than you think and coming home every night to your ideal property.