What should I do when a home I like just hits the market?

Short answer

Take a breath, get the lay of the land, and think about the best strategy before you move.

Full answer

When the market arrives and a house looks really good to you, I like to try to get a lay of the land first. Part of understanding that is thinking about where you are in the process: do you feel like you've collected enough market data to actually write an offer? What's the pace of the market in that immediate area? Is there an open house scheduled? There are lots of other questions to ask, but it's important to pause for a second and think about what the best strategy is.

And the reason you do your homework early, getting pre-approved and knowing your numbers, is so that when the right home does hit the market you can pause and think strategically instead of panicking. Preparation is what buys you the calm to be strategic. You don't have to rush into a bad decision, you just have to be ready so you can decide on your timeline, not the market's.

Back to Buying a Home