Buying a Home in Iowa City: Step 3 - Finding The Right Home

This is the third part in my series about buying a home in Iowa City. Iowa City is a very transient town and there are lots of folks Relocating to Iowa City. For relocating buyers time is of the essence. You can’t “pop over” to see a home anytime it suits you. When you’re relocating to Iowa City you’re typically in town for a couple of days. You want to hit the ground running looking at (viable) options of homes to buy. For you, the first two steps of the home buying process, Getting Pre-approved and your Wants, Needs & Wishes List are even more important than for regular buyers who live in Iowa City and have the luxury of time to spend browsing neighborhoods and checking out open houses before moving forward.

Questions to Start Out With for Your Wants, Needs & Wishes List

How near/far do you want to be from workplace/school? Finding the right home - Relocating to Iowa City

Do you want an older or a newer home?

What type/style home would you like? (Single Family, Condo, Ranch, Two Story, etc)

How many bedrooms and bathrooms do you need?

Is a garage a “must-have?” If yes, how many stalls?

Are children older or younger? In the case of younger children you’ll probably want the bedrooms on one level. In the case of older, quite the opposite.

Are there any pets? Is a fenced-in yard a high priority?

Why a Buyer’s Agent is a “Must Have” When You’re Relocating to Iowa City

So what’s next? You’ve looked at lots of homes online and now comes the fun part. Getting out there and looking at homes “in person.” Of course you’ve picked out a buyer’s agent to work with. buying a home in Iowa City If you’re relocating to Iowa City this is an absolute necessity for you to maximize the use of your time here. There are MANY reasons why working with a (good) buyer’s agent is a good idea. For buyers relocating to Iowa City there is one over-riding logistical reason. It’s simply not feasible to coordinate your day properly if you have to rely on the schedules of a dozen different listing agents. Having one agent coordinate the whole shebang is simply more efficient.

Finding the right home is the name of the game. This is where your Wants, Needs and Wishes List will come in handy. This is also a time when the value of a good agent will become apparent. Good buyer’s agents aren’t just door openers. Especially when you’re relocating you need an ally, someone to keep you on track by looking at the bigger picture. After all, you’ve got a lot on your mind, plus you don’t know the area. It may seem like a quiet neighborhood now, but what about on Game Day? It says in the listing the owners charge parking on Game Days… In this case I pointed out there was a good indicator it would be a zoo on game days. This might be a deal maker or a deal breaker for you. For my clients it was a deal breaker and we moved onto the next house.

Different agents have different approaches when it comes to viewing homes. In my case, when I’m out with buyers viewing homes I like to use what I call an “elimination process” to come up with the right home. When viewing homes I ask clients if it’s a keeper or if we can kick it out of the running. To figure that out it becomes a question of referring back to that oh so famous Wants Needs & Wishes List. What do you absolutely have to have? And what can you live without? By eliminating homes as you go, you’ll naturally end up with a couple that make the cut and become viable options. Of course they’re only viable until they get kicked off the list, but at some point in time the winner will rise to the surface! And that’s when we start talking about the subject of my next post – Making An Offer.

By now I’m sure you’ve realized that I’m all about streamlining the home buying process and making it as efficient as possible. Whenever you’re ready to take the next step towards buying a home in Iowa City I’d love to hear from you!