I have not lived my life conventionally. I went to university straight out of high school. After two years, I dropped out to “find myself.” The truth is that I was not yet ready for university. I worked over the next several years. I tried working while going to school. I finally gave it all up, sold a collection of antiques, and at 33 moved back to live in the dorms of a university where I would go to school full time.
After that, I spent a couple of years working and teaching overseas. When I returned to the U.S., I got a job. It was not a great job. It put me firmly at the bottom end of the middle-class. I chose to rent a room rather than an apartment. I socked away the additional money an apartment would have cost me.
I scrimped and saved. I worked second jobs and put that away. Money came from other sources and rather than splurge, I put it away. I was finally ready to buy myself a condo. If I did it right, I would not even have to take out a loan. (Amazing what disciplined saving, frugal living, and hard work can do.)
Before I started looking, I started watching shows about people buying homes. I tried to think out what I was important to me. I hated the whiny buyers who in one breath said, “I don’t cook. A microwave and a coffee maker are all I need in my kitchen,” and in the next said, “I really wanted granite counter tops.”
I finally hit the internet to see what was in my price range. To my great surprise, there were a few things. I put a note out to the agent who was listed next to a property I wanted to see. We actually talked about a couple of places.
I went to the first place. It was close to my work. It was on leased land. At that time, I did not understand what leased land was. The place was not great, but had a lot going for it. The realtor did not bother to mention that there was a lawsuit with that complex that might mean a large raise in the lease or the HOA fees. I did not get all the particulars of the case, but knew I did not want to buy another person’s problems.
The second property I looked at was listed as “in great condition.” and “ready to move in.” It was her listing, but it was clear she had never been inside. The place smelled of many cats. The carpet was filthy. All the appliances in the kitchen had been taken. The cabinets were in horrible shape.This unit seemed to be the only one in the complex without an enclosed patio. It was also on leased land. I still did not know what that meant. She suggested because it was in such bad shape, should put in a bid about $40 thousand under asking and then I could afford to fix it up.
I took her card. She had my information and I had hers. She said if she found anything else in my price range, she would give me a call.
I did not feel good about that first realtor. She seemed to be more interested in selling a property to me than in getting me into the right place. When I or the friends I brought along poked around too much, she seemed nervous. I did not bother to call her back.
I talked to a few friends and got the name of someone several of them had used. I finally ended up with a lady who had worked in the area for many years. Although I knew her in passing, I had not really gotten to know her before. Her reputation preceded her. She is known to be honest, intelligent and hard working. The thing no one told me was that she was also an educator. She wanted to make sure I made a smart choice from the start.
From the beginning, she listened to me about what I wanted. At the beginning of my search, my wish list was very general. As I began to see what was available, I determined there were things I found important. She kept those in mind. She set me up on a site where I could look at local listings and leave her messages about them.
My new realtor and I had been working together for a month and a half. We had looked at many properties. I had made an offer on one and was waiting on an answer. (It was a short sale that did not work out, but more about that next time.) I got a call from the first realtor letting me know that the price had dropped on the place that smelled of cats if I was interested. I did not return her call.
You can do a lot of looking at houses without a realtor, but a realtor who is working for you will make sure you avoid pitfalls of a novice. Look for someone with experience in the neighborhood in which you want to live. Get referrals. Go with your gut. If you do not feel good about the person who is supposed to represent you, find someone else. If there are a lot of foreclosures or short sales in your area, make sure your realtor has a background dealing with those.
A home is the biggest purchase most of us will ever make. Working with professionals will help you get the best deal and to avoid problems.