The key to success in buying a home is similar to the key to success in anything: planning and organizing.
The process will take you through the six steps that will help you remember the homes you’ve seen and help you choose the best one for you.
1. Map it out.
Step one in the planning process is to find a map of the area or town where you’re looking.
Mark the places that are important in your decision-making process – like schools, parks, grocery stores, malls, or if you commute — where the train stations are or the best way to get to get to the interstate.
Then, as you visit each home, place a mark on the map, and see how it fits in with your overall plan of location, location, location.
2. Keep the listing sheets.
For each home you visit, the real estate consultant should give you a listing sheet.
This contains vital information about each home – like the address, list price, and lot size, number of bedrooms, bathrooms and extras.
3. Take notes.
As you walk through the house, take notes on the back of the listing sheet about memorable things.
Make sure you note the date and time you visit. You may want to sketch out the floor plan while you’re there.
You should also take your “wish list” with you and check off the items that are “Must haves” and “nice to haves”.
This will help keep you from getting distracted by a great or horrible decorating job.
4. Take photos.
Tip: Make sure to ask before taking any photos inside – not everyone wants to “share” their personal lives.
You’re always welcome to take photos of the exterior.
Taking pictures can go a long way to reminding you what a home looks like – and how it fits into the neighbourhood.
It also lets you look at it later, after your first impression, when you want to look more at the details.
Polaroid has a small reusable camera for about $15 that will provide you with a photo right then and there, that has an adhesive backing, so you can stick it right on the listing sheet.
Digital cameras are also great options.
5. Get input from others who will be living with you.
We are all looking for different things in a home and tend to see things differently. So it’s useful to have others write down their impressions.
Kids may notice that there’s a cool place for skateboarding.
Your spouse may notice the flow from room to room. Take all of these things into consideration in your assessment of each home you see.
6. Create a notebook.
Now that you have all of this information, you need to put it all in one place.
A three-ring binder is a great way of keeping track of all this information.
Organization Tip:
Put the listing with photo first, a comparison with your wish list next, and any notes you have last.
Just a little planning and organizing will go a long way in helping you remember the home that may become yours tomorrow.
Summary: Organizing Your Search
- ✅ Map It: Mark locations on a physical map.
- ✅ Sheets: Keep every listing sheet.
- ✅ Notes: Sketch floor plans and note dates.
- ✅ Photos: Take pictures to stick on the sheets.
- ✅ Binder: Keep everything in one 3-ring binder.
By treating your home search like a project with a dedicated binder and system, you won’t lose track of the details when making your final decision.
Want early access to serious buyers?
If you’re going to be moving in the next six months, what you might not realize is that there are a significant number of buyers searching for homes like yours.
In fact, for every buyer actively viewing homes right now, there are 5-10 more about to begin their search, or eagerly waiting for the perfect property to come up.
If you’re interested in getting a head start on finding a buyer for your home, leave us some details below… We’ll see if we can find a match!
Want to know what your home is worth?
Before you put your house on the market, you need to find out how much it’s worth in today’s market, so you can make your plans based on the most current information available.
We can prepare a detailed Pin-Point Price Analysis for you that shows the most current market activity in your area for homes like yours, and we can recommend an optimal marketing price range that will give you the best odds of selling quickly – and for top dollar!