Buying a home is one of the biggest investments you'll make in your life. So it can be difficult to know, when shopping for a home, how quickly you should make your decision. Our answer to this would be: See enough homes to feel you "know the market", and get to know your Realtor well enough to trust his or her advice. 

Let's  say you are shopping for a very specific home - you want a property where you can have horses, on at least 5 acres, with 3 bedrooms, and a ranch style home for no more than 200,000. You may only have 10 to 20 homes to pick from. In that case, you can look at all of them in a short amount of time and know that you've explored all of your options.

However, if you are looking for homes in Northwest Omaha with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and at least a 1 car garage, on a budget of around $ 150,000, you will have many, many options. Should you see the possibly hundreds of homes that would match your wishes? Probably not. At this point, it is a wise idea to narrow your search further - by choosing your favorite areas or subdivisions, whether or not you'd like a fenced back yard, a whirlpool tub, updated appliances, etc. This will help define your needs and make your search a little less hectic.

Also, don't be afraid to fall in love with the right house! Sometimes you may see a property that fits all of your needs, has been maintained properly and is priced right. Don't ignore the gut feeling that you have found "the one". Ask your Realtor for advice and his or her opinion. They know the marketplace and correct pricing.

If you miss out on the "perfect house" due to multiple offers or simply not offering soon enough, don't be discouraged, you are becoming educated on how much house you can afford  and the market in general. When you see the home that is the right fit for you, don't hesitate - ask your Realtor to write the offer as soon as possible. Most likely if you love the home, so do many other buyers out there.

The number of homes you see before buying is going to vary with each individual. It's an exciting time- you're buying a house!! Enjoy the experience. We always tell our buyers that looking at homes is the easy part. If you are ready to make a move we would love to help - give us a call and let's get started!