Beginning your property journey can seem like an endless barrage of photos, viewings, paperwork and stress. It need not be though. With the right agent and a tailor-made strategy, the property acquisition process can be streamlined to be painless.
Mike Greeff, CEO of Greeff Christie’s International Real Estate offers the following advice to would-be buyers, “If you have any doubts about any part of the property buying process, the best course of action would be to enlist the help of a reputable agency. Agents are trained to navigate the property markets and help you understand the subtleties of buying, pricing and trends. A good agent is an invaluable asset to have at by your side.”
The saying goes ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” and the first step of your property journey is choosing the right agent. Always go for an agent from a trustworthy and reputable agency.
The agent should have a proven track record, experience in their area of expertise as well as the ability to listen to you and put your needs first. The agent will be able to provide insight on the history of an area, what the market is doing as well as statistics of what similar properties in the area sold for.
Know what you are looking for. Deciding on search criteria like price, size location and availability will help you and your agent associate narrow the area of focus and let you identify key properties with serious potential.
Taking this crucial step of focusing your energy on high potential properties not only saves you from the additional effort of trying to view too many options but also saves the most valuable commodity of all...Time. Having extra time available lets you make more unrushed, clear decisions and lets get your paperwork in order should you decide to make a serious offer to purchase.
Another extremely proactive step to take is getting pre-approval from your lending institution of choice. This not only gives you a concrete idea of what your affordability is but also lets you determine your ceiling price for negotiations and is a clear sign to sellers that you are a serious buyer that will not have any trouble accessing cash should they accept your offer.
Pre-approvals are usually valid for three months and can usually be extended by another three provided your financial situation has not changed. Being pre-approved also means that any offer you make has more psychological weight with sellers than if you didn’t. Greeff Christie’s International Real Estate is expertly qualified to make this process even easier as our agents will link you to trusted bond originators BetterBond. BetterBond has for years been going above and beyond for their clients and continues to offer them the best service possible.
A good idea would be to initiate the pre-approval process the moment you start considering buying. The results of the pre-approval will shape your decisions going forward and will allow you to avoid looking at impractical or unaffordable options.