Searching for your dream home can easily become a nightmare if you don’t follow our house-hunting tips. According to some stats, the Sacramento metro area welcomed more newcomers than any other in the US in 2020, so the prices are increasing, and the competition is tough. If you’re looking for a home around this area, follow our convenient tips for house-hunting to find your picture-perfect home in no time.
What Should I Look for When House-Hunting?
Relocating to one of the best neighborhoods in Sacramento can be a perfect opportunity to prosper in your career and start a new exciting chapter of your life. But how to house-hunt, you might wonder? This is definitely not an easy task, especially if you have no experience in this.
You should follow our convenient house-hunting guide in order to have an efficient move and avoid common relocation mistakes. Make a house-hunt checklist and write down all the steps. When looking for a dream residence, the most important things to follow are your needs and priorities, but they have to be realistic and in accordance with your budget.
Why Is House-Hunting So Stressful?
This process can be stressful for many reasons. First of all, maybe you are on a budget and can’t find anything that fits your needs. Secondly, you might worry about your safety if you’re not relocating to one of the safest neighborhoods. You might experience a lot of moving stress if you don’t know what to keep when moving because you don’t have an idea how your next residence is going to look like. Finally, you might be pressured by different factors and need to relocate in a hurry, but the current real estate market offer doesn’t seem to please you.
How Long Should You House-Hunt?
Depending on the previously mentioned factors, this search can last days or even months. There is not a rule that tells you exactly how long you should search for a new place. Sometimes people know that they want to relocate sometime in the future, so they start tracking the market for years, and when the moment comes, they easily know what’s the perfect fit for them.
Other people are forced to move in a hurry because the place they rented isn’t available anymore or they need to relocate for work or education. Regardless of the reason, it is important that you follow your own rhythm. You should also consider having some sort of temporary solution until something that fits you perfectly pops out.
#1 Understand the Market
To find exactly what you’re looking for, you need to start thinking like a realtor and understand the current real estate market. If you haven’t moved recently, you might find yourself in shock once you find out how much has changed since your last relocation. Don’t worry – trends in the housing market depend on many factors and tend to change.
For example, winter is the most convenient time for those who are relocating on a budget. Prices tend to drop during this period, and fewer people are looking for potential homes, so you might get lucky during your search. With approximately 24,000 people moving to Sacramento from the Bay Area on a yearly level, it’s no wonder that many new buyers and renters are almost fighting to seal the deal and get a place.
Ready To Move?
Free QuoteHow’s the Current Situation?
You are currently looking at the market that has over 2,200 homes for sale. This area has shown to be an excellent place to invest in real estate in the past. Most of the offered homes at the moment are single-family homes, about 60% of the available housing units, to be more precise. Other significant portions of available properties are row houses, duplexes, and houses that have been transformed into apartments. These are some important things you should be aware of during this search:
- The median property value is about $430,000,
- Price per square foot is about $300,
- The average rent goes around $1,700 per month.
#2 Decide What You’re Looking for in Terms of Neighborhood and Property
Now that you are one of the buyers who understand the situation, it is important that you determine your own needs and priorities. Some of the most important things to consider are who you are relocating with and what the main reason for your relocation is.
Another thing to decide is whether you are looking for a bigger residence, or is it important for you to be in a fully renovated and furnished apartment, even if it has just one room. Do you care where the home is located, or is it only important for you that it has a nice garden and friendly neighbors? Different factors can affect your decision, so ensure you consider all the options and determine your non-negotiables.
Think About Your Priorities
For example, if you’re relocating to be closer to your job because you’re sick of the time you waste commuting, finding something close to your job should be your priority. If you’re relocating with pets, being close to some nice park is a must. If you want to relocate with a family, a quiet and safe suburb might be an ideal option, but are there some good schools in the area? These are the questions you should ask yourself before making final decisions.
#3 One of the Most Important House-Hunting Tips Is to Be Realistic With Your Budget
It is important that you write down a good moving to-do list and a packing list of all the things you need to relocate, but have you ever thought about a moving expenses checklist? This should be an essential step, especially if you’re on a budget.
You need to be realistic with this one. There is no point in relocating if you can currently afford just one rent, not to mention the deposit and other things you’ll need to pay for during the relocation. Maybe you want to organize a going-away party or pay for professional move-out cleaning. It is also recommended that you save some money on professional local moving services.
Don’t Stretch Your Budget if You’re in a Rush
One of the common mistakes people make is stretching their budget when they start feeling hopeless. If the median rent is, for example, $1,500 and you are on a budget, try finding options that don’t go over that price. You can always wait a bit for something convenient to show up. If you have some troubles, you should proceed with the other step and find a good real estate agent.
#4 Get a Good Real Estate Agent – They Should Be Able to Find You Exactly What You Want
A good agent can quickly become your best friend during this period. They are sometimes hard to get and charge their services quite a lot, but they can make this whole process much easier and more efficient. If you have no previous experience or don’t know where to look for convenient solutions, contacting real estate agents should be one of your priorities.
They know the housing market well so they’ll be able to give you advice on when and how to buy the place at the right moment. Some of the agencies in the local area that might offer you these services are:
- Gonsalves Real Estate Properties,
- Nathan Sherman – Dunnigan Realtors,
- Lynda Fong Realtor.
#5 Ensure to Check Every Home in Person
Even if you are lucky enough to get yourself a good agent, you should know that they are still people and can make some mistakes or overlook things that are important to you. For example, they might not know that you like bright and white open space, so they highly recommend an option that’s not quite to your taste but satisfies all the other requirements such as price and the location.
Sure these are your priorities but do you really want to spend your time in a space that makes you feel depressed because of the lack of light when you can find a better option around the corner? Don’t let your agent make the final decision – once they make the selection, you should see every place in person and decide what works the best for you.
Things You Should Inspect Around the Home – Kitchen, Garden, and Bathroom Can Tell You a Lot About the Place
Some of the most important things you should inspect when you check the place are:
- Heating system,
- Air conditioning,
- Electrical installations,
- Roof and attic,
- Walls,
- Floors,
- Doors and windows,
- Basement.
Pay close attention to kitchen and bathroom taps and electrical installations because you’ll need to use them as soon as you get to your place. People usually leave the biggest mess in the kitchen, bathroom, or garden, so it is recommended to pay special attention to these areas.
What Should You Not Do While House-Hunting? Avoid Every Common Mistake by Following Our Tips
One of the main things to avoid during this process is obviously making a deal with unregistered real estate agents. If they seem unprofessional and don’t know basic information about the current trends, you should start being suspicious. They also might start pressuring you or mislead you to some bad decisions. Our suggestion is to interview at least three agents before making a deal with one of them.
You should also stay careful with your budget and keep an eye on mortgage pre-approval to avoid losing a good investment. Also, don’t fall for cosmetics and check what’s really important – good-smelling candles are one of the tricks that mislead you into thinking someplace is better than it actually is. This video will help you learn more about other potential mistakes.
Once You Find the Right Home, Consider Hiring Professional Sacramento Movers for Easier Relocation
If you followed our house-hunting tips checklist, you are probably ready to settle down in your dream residence. The only problem left is relocating all of your belongings there. Luckily, there is a way to relocate all of your furniture and fragile inventory without any worries. You can hire our reliable Sacramento movers without any fear of becoming a victim of a moving scam. We know all the moving hacks that can make the relocation process much easier. Keep an eye on the most commonly forgotten things to pack and check what items movers won’t move – everything else is up to us. You can proceed with your other responsibilities, such as changing address or maybe cleaning your new apartment before moving in.
We can offer you convenient residential moving services that are perfect for relocating household goods and commercial moving services suitable for relocating office belongings. Labor-only moving is available for those who need an additional workforce for lifting heavy furniture. In- and-out-of storage moving service is suitable for transporting your storage inventory to another unit or relocating it to a new apartment. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. You can also get a free quote and find out the potential price of the services you require.