home search

Im nowhere near buying a home but i wouldnt mind looking just to see what i could possibly get. If yoi see a house online and are interested in looking do you have to submit paperwork or get a credit check or can you just look?
Thanks!

Re: home search

In order to see a home via a private showing, you will need to go through a real estate agent (it can be any agent of your choosing, doesn't need to be the listing agent). Any experienced and professional agent will ask you whether you've been preapproved by a lender before they show you homes. If a real estate agent is willing to start working with you on a regular basis without inquiring about your ability to obtain financing, I would question the competence of that agent. Most agents don't want to waste anyone's time (including yours!).

I usually like to do an initial buyer's consultation before I start showing homes to a potential buyer, so I can get a sense of their needs, wants, timeline, motivation, and relevant financial situation. If I know someone is working on getting preapproved, I will show them homes, but I would expect that they get the preapproval before we go out multiple times (it usually only takes a day -- or less -- to get it).

If there's no way you would buy a home now, then I would just say to keep looking casually online and go to some open houses. You won't be expected to have a preapproval then, and you can educate yourself on your areas of interest and what you can get for your money in those areas.

If you are not really looking now, but would consider buying if you found the ideal home, then there's no harm in getting a preapproval letter to see if you can qualify for a loan and for how much. You are not locked into using the lender that preapproves you (and you'll just need to provide some basic info on income, debt, etc. -- and they will run credit, but it's not as entailed as when you actually apply for a loan). It may be to your benefit to know how much you can borrow or what you may need to do to improve your qualifications. Plus, a good loan officer will consult with you about various loan products and what might best fit your needs, so you will get some useful info for the future.

Let me know if you need recommendations for a lender, if you decide to go that route now!

home search

If you are no where near buying then I would just look on MLS.

Goign and looking at houses in person will waste a agents time if there is no way you are even thinking about buying it. A a seller it would aslo drive me crazy if I had people through that were jsut "window shopping".

Plus if you are not really ready looking at a house will not give you an accurate picture of what is out there next month or next year since things change day to day.

If you do want to see a house you can just call the listing agent and request a showing.

home search

Go to open houses. That's what DH & I did when we started looking. We went to a few open houses and then decided to sell our house and buy. We should be closing on our home and our new home within a week!!! It never hurts to look!