Any realtors out ther? How do you start house hunting?

[Tulirose]

All excellent advice here. Just have to add some of my own 2 cents.

If you go out with different realtors, do NOT look at the same house with two different agents. You will end up owing them BOTH commissions. I know someone that did that. For some reason, they didn't want to tell the 2nd agent that they had already been looking and so they viewed this one house twice with two different agents. Problem was, she loved the house but because she did not tell the second realtor that she had already viewed it with another one, she had to leave it be, or owe both agents commission fees.

My second penny: Have you considered a mother/daughter type of house where mom gave have her own private apartment area? This way, you are in the same house but you each have privacy. Just another option to think about.

Good luck! Househunting can be a lot of fun.

 

[Serena]

Have you thought of having a house, but having a small guest house close by?
It would allow them to have their own little house and privacy and you would have yours.

 

[Gillian]

Originally posted by Tulirose
If you go out with different realtors, do NOT look at the same house with two different agents. You will end up owing them BOTH commissions.

Again, I don't know if the real estate regulations on this vary by state, but in NJ, only the first agent to show you a particular home earns the commission!

This is important because if you are working with an agent, but for some reason decide you HAVE to see a house without him or her, and end up buying it, the agent who does show you the house will get the commission, and not your agent. If you develop a relationship with an agent and he works hard for you but doesn't get paid, everyone feels bad.

A book I like is Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask, by Ilyce Glink.

And I'm not sure 2500 SF 4 bedrooms will be enough room for all of you, unless it has a lot of separate living areas. And you'll need space for a teen in your house before you know it!

Have fun shopping!