The 2012 Wake County Parade of Homes will be held on the weekends of September 29-30, October 5-7 and October 12-14, from 12-5 p.m. daily. As the Wake County Parade of Homes prepares to start next week many people like yourself will be amongst the crowd and looking for opportunities. The Linda Craft Real Estate Team has put together the Top 7 Things To Do When You Preview The Wake County Parade of Homes.
1. Plan Ahead
The Parade of Homes covers a large area of the Triangle. Gas up, pack your water, charge your phone, camera and get your GPS plugged in!
Many different housing businesses in the Triangle will have a copy of the Parade of Homes Map. Be sure to call The Linda Craft & Team REALTORS at 919-235-0007 to receive further information on the featured homes. Have a Smartphone? Download the MyHomeFound app to favorite a home, get directions, Tweet, and Facebook about the homes you find during the Parade. Take advantage of the mapping capability to make finding homes easier.
2. Know Your Numbers
One of the challenges of looking for a home in the Triangle is finding one that you love and then not being able to pursue it when you find out that you will not qualify. Have you checked your credit lately? Have you talked with a Triangle Area lender? Do you have your downpayment money saved? Having everything ready when you are ready to make a decision on your new home will save you valuable time later.
3. Preview Homes Online
Do you have an idea of what you are looking for in you new home in the Triangle? Do you need a downstairs master bedroom? Would you like a screen porch? With gas prices so high it would be wise to preview the Parade Homes on sites such as local Pinterest feeds or local Raleigh Area Real Estate Websites.
4. Take A Lot of Pictures
Speaking of Pinterest, you may want to download the cool Pinterest app to you iPhone or Droid. That way you can upload/pin images of Parade homes to specific boards you can create. Ideas for boards may be by neighborhood, by style, by price, or whatever board category you want (Pinterest sign-up, Pinterest iTunes app, Google Play Store)
Want to know an insider trick? Always take a picture of the outside of a house and then the street number or lot number before you start taking inside pictures of a property. This will help you remember which cool bathroom you liked in which house vs. having everything blur together.
5. Be Respectful of The Properties
Please be sure to park on the street or driveways and not on the grass. Builders have spent quite a bit of time and money to make sure their homes are in the best possible condition. Please be respectful of their hard work.
6. Check Out the Neighborhood
If you decide that you really like a house, be sure to drive all the way through the neighborhood. Are the amenities finished? Are all of the roads paved? Are the street lights in? What do the exisiting homes look like? Don’t forget to search the internet for any reference to that neighborhood as well. How are the online reviews about the builder? What about the Home Owner’s Association?
7. Keep Your Poker Face
If you really like a home and think it may be “the one” for you and your family, KEEP YOUR POKER FACE ON!!! Don’t let the agent in the house know that you like it. They work for the builder and will be representing the best interest of their client. Do not tell them anything. The more that you say you love the home and it is perfect, the more they will stick to the list price instead of negotiating with you. An experienced Buyer Agent can negotiate for you and provide you with assistance – all at no additional cost to you.
Which 2012 Wake County Parade of Homes Entry is Your Favorite?
Let us know in the comments below!
For more information about The Parade of Homes or to schedule a confidential consultation with an experience Buyer Specialist, please call 919-235-0007 or check out our 2012 Parade of Homes webpage.