I had issues with both the Trulia and Realtor.com app. The Zillow app had some glitches here and there but it was the most user-friendly of the three. All the apps are free. I did sign up for alerts with Zillow and Trulia so some days I'll get an updates on new properties in my area. For the most part the properties meet my 3bed/2bath requirement but sometimes the price is no where near my budget. I created a spreadsheet to complete with each home tour because they all start to run together after a while. I think I saw 7 houses in one day. The spreadsheet info was as follows:
- property address
- date of visit
- square feet of property
- lot size
- number of bedrooms
- number of bathrooms
The next two categories were specific to interior and exterior qualities/problems
Interior:
- family room
- separate dining room
- eat-in-kitchen
- formal living room
- separate den
- great room
- laundry room
- basement
- hardwood floors
- ceramic tile
- carpet
- fireplace
- storm windows
- ceiling fans
- central A/C
- energy efficient features
- storage
- attic
Exterior:
- fenced yard
- garage/carport
- patio/deck
- pool
- extra parking
- shed
- nice view
- siding
- brick
- roof
- gutters
- steel front door
- landscaping
- storage building
- sprinkler system
- mailbox
Then I had a section at the bottom about my overall impression of the home divided into positive and negative comments. For each item on the sheet I had room to make comments, measurements, etc. In some cases I had the MLS listing printed to attach to the sheet. I created this before I got a Realtor. After I signed with a Realtor I gave him a list of things that were must-haves, wish list, negotiable, and deal-breakers.
Must-haves:
Must-haves:
- 3 bedrooms
- 2 full bathrooms
- double driveway or side yard large enough to accommodate Jeff's trailer and landscaping equipment
- open floor plan (kitchen and living room) or at least the potential for an open floor plan in the future by knocking down walls
- en suite master
- master large enough to accommodate a king size bed and other various bedroom furniture
- large backyard
- central A/C
- dishwasher
- washer & dryer hook-up
- over 1500 sq ft
Wish list:
- fenced yard
- garage/carport
- hardwood floors
- ceiling fans in all rooms
- walk-in closet for master
- kitchen pantry
- shower only in the master bath
- double sinks in the master bath
- backyard deck
- separate dining room
- neighborhood conducive for jogging
- storage shed
Negotiable:
- master bath with separate garden tub and shower
Deal-breakers:
- minuscule yard
- neighbor's house within arms length away
- scary neighborhood
- neighborhood with an abundance of mobile homes or meth houses
I really don't care for master bath's that have a separate tub and shower. I'm not a bath person and as long as there's a tub in the 2nd bathroom for washing pups and babies that's more than sufficient for me. The rest of the items are pretty self-explanatory. House hunting is stressful. You start off really excited and hopeful and then you see the kinds of houses that your budget will afford and it gets depressing. I'm all about compromise but price and location trump everything. There's no point in buying a house that meets your needs but is in a bad area or buying a house that's everything you want but you can't afford (even if you sell all your unnecessary organs). I'll post again about my progress--this post is just about the beginning search.
2 comments:
Well, you know, I vote no for the meth houses too. You have to draw the line somewhere. All of this house business is very interesting and very different than buying a house in my day.
Loved that you said "for washing pups and babies" awwww melt my heart!!!
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