Monday, April 23, 2007

Go to war!! Buy a home!!

1. Identify the objective- If you're in a war zone you can't just run around aimlessly, you must know what it is you're trying to accomplish. And then you most be able to locate the specific area that requires the use of your tactics in order to accomplished the desired results. In war on home finding it is no different. You must locate an area you feel will help you accomplish your mission; in this case, provide a good home for you and your family. The most obvious thing people are first attracted to is the house itself. A neighborhood will generally have homes of the same age and style. So if you have located an area you feel meets your housing desires, you need to move onto the next step.


2. Gather intel- Once you've said "boy, I love that house," you need to do some research on the area the house is in, as well as the house itself. You should ask yourself, and have answered, these type of questions:


Where will the kids go to school? How far away is it?


Where are the things I need/want? Wal-Mart is a big one on everyones list these days.


How far am I from work? How far is my spouse?


Is the house worth the price?


What's the market around here? Will the house sell when I'm ready to move?


Do I need to consult a Realtor?


Which leads me into my next point.


3. Call for fire support- One thing all Marines are taught is to know when to fight and when to call for the bigger guns. While my M-16A2 may work really well on insurgents, it really has no effect on a tank. Know when to say you need help.


If you are new in town you have to face the fact that you just don't know the area. Don't be so full of pride that you can't ask for help. Usually a Realtor works for a buyer free of charge. Everybody loves free right? It's a heck of a deal. Do you know any doctors that will give you a free transplant? I don't. Realtors offer so much help and guidance when buying homes. Not to mention they have access to programs and services that can drastically cut down your search time. Use them. Seriously.


Realtors also help with my next point.


4. Remain camouflaged- In combat rule #1 is don't be seen by the enemy. If they don't know you are there, they can't defend against you. And even better they can not identify any possible weaknesses you may have, which means they can not exploit them.


When it comes to buying a home, never under estimate your enemy (the seller). They may seem to be the most friendly person you've ever met but remember, they are trying to sell there house and put as much money in their pocket as possible. There are so many things you could say to them, just through the course of normal conversation, that could drastically damage your bargaining position. By using a Realtor you are given the privilege of having a trained professional do your bargaining for you. They make sure those specifics of your life and financial situations, which may be bad for your position in the transaction, are kept secret. Once again, a Realtor can be a very valuable asset to you.


Finally we come to #5.


5. Ensure you have a proper exit strategy- No one ever plans an attack on a target and then stop with the target being eliminated. There is always a plan to get back home, move to the next objective, or whatever. Real estate is no different.


When you buy a house you should say to yourself, "self, when it comes time to sell, will this house sell easily?" When you buy the house and you notice things that are a turn off to you guess what? They will be a turn off to any potential buyers in the future when you go to sell. That busy street that's only 20 ft out the front door, or the fact the house doesn't have any covered parking, or it's 45 minutes from the nearest Wal-Mart, all of these things will be potential deal breakers in the future. Just food for thought.



I would like to leave you with one last thing. Although I do recommend using a Realtor such as Sergeant Real Estate (sorry had to plug myself), you can buy a home on your own. People do it all the time. Just make sure you do the research and make the right choices. Good luck and I hope this helps you.



Blog Done. Carry On!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now this is some good shit. That's a well written article right there.

Now, I don't think President Bush got the memo about the whole "exit strategy" thing, so just send a copy of this over to the White House and you're done for the day.

Sergeant Real Estate said...

Thanks man. As always, I appreciate the support.