{"id":5325,"date":"2016-05-20T23:33:11","date_gmt":"2016-05-20T23:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/?p=5325"},"modified":"2016-05-20T23:33:11","modified_gmt":"2016-05-20T23:33:11","slug":"ultimate-homebuyers-guide-home-search-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide-home-search-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Insider Home Search Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Home-Search-Tips_banner.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5345\" src=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Home-Search-Tips_banner.jpg\" alt=\"Home-Search-Tips_banner\" width=\"600\" height=\"125\" \/><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/basics\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide-home-search\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-5393 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Search_thumb_22.jpg\" alt=\"Search_thumb_2\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" \/><\/a>Cast a wide net, then narrow it down &#8211;<\/b> Start with a broad pool, open yourself up to some neighborhoods that don\u2019t fit your requirements perfectly, and look at properties a little above your budget. As you do your research, you\u2019ll find that certain neighborhoods that might not have seemed to fit your credentials actually do, and that you can negotiate down prices depending on the market. Don\u2019t completely disregard places that have potential until you start to narrow your search down.<\/p>\n<p><b>Take advantage of search tools &#8211;<\/b> Save searches and sign up for property alerts and market reports\u2014timing is everything when it comes to finding your perfect property match, and you want to stay on top of what\u2019s happening in the market as it happens. Most search tools offer the option of saving searches or bookmarking properties. Then you\u2019ll automatically receive emails about new properties that meet your requirements, a favorite property\u2019s status, recent sales, and more.<\/p>\n<p><b>Know the photo tricks &#8211;<\/b> Property photos often employ tricks to make rooms look bigger, hallways look longer, and spaces look brighter or more new. Fisheye lenses make rooms look a lot bigger. Wide-angle lenses, while not as obvious or deceptive as fisheye, also have the same effect by capturing more in a single shot and giving the illusion of a big space.<\/p>\n<p>A listing agent will also avoid posting photos of defects or less desirable aspects of the property, so read the description carefully. A fixer-upper with only photos of the exterior is probably in serious disrepair inside.<\/p>\n<p><b>Look at the school district &#8211;<\/b> Even if you aren\u2019t planning to have kids soon, property values are higher in neighborhoods with good schools. If you\u2019re looking for the most desirable neighborhoods or want to invest in a home that you want to appreciate, schools are one of the biggest indicators of a neighborhood\u2019s value.<\/p>\n<p><b>Hit the pavement &#8211;<\/b> A picture might say a thousand words, but you won\u2019t really know what you\u2019re dealing with until you see for yourself. Make a list of the places you want to see and tell your agent to schedule tours. Your agent should be there with you to help you ask the right questions and look out for any red flags, but don\u2019t be afraid to drop into open houses and go see places by yourself and schedule another tour with your agent later. The more you see, the more you learn about what you should look out for.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-spacing: 5px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/basics\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide-fsbos\"><span style=\"text-align: left; font-size: 11pt;\">&lt;&lt; PREVIOUS CHAPTER: What Are FSBOs?<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%; text-align: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/basics\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide-property-types\"><span style=\"text-align: right; font-size: 11pt;\">NEXT CHAPTER: Types of Properties &gt;&gt;<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/basics\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5426 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Hombeuyers-Guide_button.jpg\" alt=\"Hombeuyers-Guide_button\" width=\"334\" height=\"48\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cast a wide net, then narrow it down &#8211; Start with a broad pool, open yourself up to some neighborhoods that don\u2019t fit your requirements perfectly, and look at properties a little above your budget. As you do your research, you\u2019ll find that certain neighborhoods that might not have seemed to fit your credentials actually do, and that you can negotiate down prices depending on the market. Don\u2019t completely disregard places that have potential until you start to narrow your search down. Take advantage of search tools &#8211; Save searches and sign up for property alerts and market reports\u2014timing is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[167,260],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-basics","category-buyer","post--single"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Insider Home Search Tips<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide-home-search-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Insider Home Search Tips\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cast a wide net, then narrow it down &#8211; Start with a broad pool, open yourself up to some neighborhoods that don\u2019t fit your requirements perfectly, and look at properties a little above your budget. 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