Developing Your Search Criteria for Real Estate in Asheville, NC

Ok, you have the amount you can spend and you have a buyers agent you can work with, what is next? Your agent is going to sit down with you and determine your search criteria and how feasible your search criterion is on your budget. If there are things that are not achievable, they should tell you and provide other options. They should ask what your needs are. Are you a growing family that needs more space and certain school districts? Do you want privacy, views, acreage or do you want the comfort and feel in a subdivision? If so, which and what type of subdivision? The list goes on and on and the conversation should be nice and easy like talking to a friend. Once again, be frank and honest, most real estate agents have heard it all.

Searching the Asheville Regional MLS

So, you’ve got your search criteria and your agent has plugged it all into the Asheville Regional Multiple Listings Service (MLS) database and it begins spitting out potential homes related to your search. Once you have weeded through the list and decided on your possible matches, it is time to go look. What should you being looking for on this first visit? The answer is simple: things that excite you. Are the surroundings good? Was the approach clean or cluttered? Is the location where you want it? Does the home have good curb appeal? The list goes on and on and on. You will have a gut reaction about a property before ever stepping foot inside. Follow your gut reaction. If you absolutely hate or can not stand a certain aspect, move on. If your objections are only minor it is good practice to at least view the property so that you have a knowledge base to compare other homes against in the Asheville real estate market.

Have a Discerning Eye for the Details

Once inside a home pay attention to the layout of the home and whether the floor plan will work for you and your family. For example, as a home builder I have found that mud room & laundry room entrances directly from the garage area are of a great benefit to many families and that large wide open floor plans are conducive to those individuals who like to entertain. Are you an elderly couple that needs the master bedroom on the main floor? There is an endless possibility of things to keep in mind and they vary from buyer to buyer. Where good agents differ with most agents is that a good agent will begin pointing out technical aspects of the home as you tour through it such as electrical wiring issues, plumbing system faults, whether or not there are any immediate concerns over foundation or framing issues, and quite possibly items that the home owner might have tried to cover up, etc… You may like the home, but a good agent might tell you to move on because there are just too many problems. Better to know these things up front rather than weeks before the purchase of the home, with a heavy investment of time and money on your behalf.