Top Five Tips for Your Atlanta Home Search

With the housing market witnessing historically high sales, low inventory and supply shortages, finding the home of your dreams just got a lot more complicated. What should be an exciting search has become increasingly frustrating for metro Atlanta homebuyers and real estate professionals. Because we are forever dedicated to ensuring our clients a positive home buying/home building process, the team at Green River Builders – along with our friends at Platinum KeyRealty of Georgia – has compiled a list of five tips to aid in your upcoming or ongoing home search.

1)     HowFlexible Can You Be?‍

If you’ve ever searched for hotels during the height of the season, chances are you’ve received the chatbot question… “how flexible are your dates?” The same goes for the current state of the housing market. Ask yourself – realistically – “how flexible are we” on key home search parameters including areas where you’re willing to live, new vs. resale, townhome vs.single-family, number of bedrooms/bathrooms, home features, price points, school districts and more. Write down your new parameters based on your personal level of flexibility and begin casting a broader net. Be careful not to stretch too far outside your comfort zone or you may have buyer’s remorse after the ink has dried on your contract.

2)     HaveYou Had “The Talk” with Your Employer?‍

Not a fan of hourly gatherings around the water cooler or work environments that boast a sea of cubicles? Did you work remotely during the pandemic and learned you could be just as – if not more – productive? Do you think your employer might be open to shifting your position to a remote work model – or, at the very least, a hybrid two days in office, three days remote model? If so, you might be able to expand your home search exponentially. It might at least be worth a discussion.

3)     Partner with an Experienced Real Estate Professional

‍While your mom’s co-worker’s son’s girlfriend may be a budding agent who could really use a break, something as important as your home search in this day and age should be left up to a seasoned professional. Not only will they understand the Atlanta housing market like the back of their hand, but they will have a vast network of industry professionals to tap into for leads. Read reviews and conduct interviews top are down the list to one agent who really knows his or her stuff, with whom you have great rapport. A deep familiarity with markets in which you have an interest is a must!

4)     Be Prepared

‍In this current culture of bidding wars and abbreviated times that a listing is live, you may need to move quickly – and we’re not just talking about moving boxes. It’s important to be pre-approved for a loan so you know how much home you can afford and can offer a pre-approval letter to the seller, so they know you mean business. With so many deals being made in cash, don’t be surprised if you miss out on several possibilities during the course of your home search. But in the event the winning bid is yours, you’ll need to comply with the seller’s timeline, which might involve closing and MOVING within 30 days.

5)     Still Can’t Find “The One”? BUILD IT!‍

After losing several bidding wars or lingering on waiting lists for longer than you like, it might be time to expand your search once again. You might have more luck working with a custom or semi-custom homebuilder who can find the land for your new homesite and build your home from the ground up. While we got our start in communities throughout metro Atlanta – and are proud to now have a presence at Trove in Watkinsville, Green River Builders has a luxury division that builds at Lake Oconee. If you can work remotely – or are retired – and love the thought of the lake life, you’re going to want to include Green River Builders in your home search. Discover our approach to luxury lake homes HERE!  Want to learn more? Call us at 770-790-1096 or send us an email at GreenRiverBuilder@gmail.com.

We wish you the best of luck in your home search! Don’t allow the frustration of not finding exactly what you’re looking for steal the joy of this moment. While the whole team at Green River Builders hopes your search leads you directly to us, we want – most of all – for you to find a home where you, your family and friends will make countless happy memories for years to come!

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