How Many Homes Should You Look At Before You Buy

Q: We’ve been looking at homes to buy. We’ve seen quite a few so far and I’m having trouble keeping track of the homes we’ve seen. How many homes do you think you should look at before you buy? Justin, Linden, NJ

A: When you visit a home you may purchase, you should always take notes, photos and video because you will forget things you saw as time passes. The key to getting the home that is best home for you is knowing exactly what you’re looking for–that is not a function of the number of homes you’ve looked at, rather, it’s something you need to decide before you start looking. Before starting your home search, research your desired neighborhood, the type of home you want, and most importantly, your budget–specifically, what you can afford to buy. It’s a complete waste of time to look at houses you cannot afford to buy. There isn’t a magic number of homes to view before you buy–it depends on your personal preferences, what you can afford to buy and the local market conditions in the places where you’re looking for homes. Many local real estate markets are competitive now because of a shortage of available homes for sale—a competitive market normally requires seeing more homes because of competition from other potential home buyers.

Never be afraid to walk away. A home is normally one of the biggest investments people make. If you don’t feel confident about a particular home, then pass. Good luck. Thanks for your question, Justin.

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