House Hunting:
House hunting. It’s one of the most daunting tasks we face during our lifetimes. At the end of the day, few other decisions have such significant impact on our quality of life. So, you could say that choosing the right house is pretty important. And, with so much pressure on, it can be tough to get started. How can you even begin to breach the extensive housing market? Just thinking about it is enough to give you a headache.
The good news is, incorporating technology into your search could save you an awful lot of hassle. Once upon a time, our only option was to go, in person, to estate agents. Then, you had to put your life in their hands while they ‘made some calls’ and ‘spoke to some people’. But those days are long behind us now. The house buyer, in fact, has more say over their hunt than ever before. On the one hand, you could argue that there’s more pressure in your corner. But, you could also embrace this new power to make your house hunt as easy as possible. After all, technology is all about convenience, is it not?
And, technology doesn’t only help you in one aspect of your house search either. In fact, it could keep you covered for the duration. To give you some idea of how, we’re going to look at a few different examples.
The Knowledge You Need:
As technology is amazing for expanding knowledge, that’s where we’re going to start. In the days of old, the only things you knew about the property market and the houses you were viewing, came from the estate agents. And, it should come as no surprise that they sometimes bent the truth to make the most money. It’s business, and we all understand their need to do so. But, we no longer need to rely on half-truths. Instead, we can gain our own knowledge of the housing market online.
That’s not to say that you need to become a real estate expert overnight. But, having some basic knowledge is sure to help you out. For example, it’s important to research average house prices in your chosen area. You should gain some understanding of this during your home search anyway, but it doesn’t hurt to know the facts. That way, you’ll be able to spot a bargain or an overpriced option. Plus, it’ll help you gain some idea of when there’s an offer to be done. If for example, there’s some work on the house, you should be able to offer a competitive but informed price.
It also helps to research ownership laws. If you’re already on the housing ladder, your knowledge here should be pretty good as it stands. But, if you’re new to house buying, you’ll need to get your head around matters such as the difference between a freehold and leasehold.
And, of course, internet access also provides better knowledge of the properties in question. All the information will be right there on the website. You don’t need to worry about taking a bulky information leaflet around. It’s all right there, neatly stored on the internet.
The Perfect Location:
We all put some import on location when choosing a property. The best house still won’t suit our needs if it’s in a terrible location. And, there are a few technologies which can help us ensure the area we’re choosing is a winner. In the old days, the only judge we had was a quick walk around a chosen destination. And, while seeing the place in the flesh is still a good indicator, it’s far from our only option. If you know you’re seeing a house in a particular area, Google maps gives you the chance to search that area in depth from the comfort of your home. You can explore in a much more thorough manner than you may have in the past. So, you can be sure you’re not making a mistake.
The internet can also help here. Now, we can search for news stories in a chosen area at the click of a button. An estate agent isn’t going to tell you about crimes in the area. They want you to buy the house they’re showing! But, searching online doesn’t discriminate. It’ll show you every crime there’s been in recent years. This will help you gain a good idea of how safe a location is.
Technology can also help you judge the sustainability of an environment. For example, there’s always been some risk when buying a house close to a river. The risk of floods and landslides are enough to put many of us off. But, that needn’t be the case anymore. Technology like HEC-RAS systems allow you to gain in-depth knowledge about risks of flood and so on. So, you don’t need to guess about such important matters anymore. You can do your research to make the most informed decision possible.
The Right House:
Of course, nothing is so important to a successful house search as finding the right property. This is what all the hard work comes down to. But, in years gone by, it was much more difficult to find the perfect house. You had to rely on individual agent’s listings. Now, you can gain access to most homes on the market with a simple online search. Sites like Rightmove and Prime location list properties from a variety of agents.
And, certain apps can help you here, too. Many apps offer the opportunity to walk around an area and see all houses for sale there. This is much easier than searching for ‘sale’ signs. Don’t hesitate to head to the app store. The majority of estate agents provide apps which offer this service. Bear in mind, though, that they often only list their properties. You may be better off with something like the Primelocation app, which lists all the properties in a chosen area.
The help doesn’t stop there, either. It’s also worth making the most of that handy camera on your phone. House hunting can get confusing, especially when you’re viewing a lot of properties. To keep things fresh in your mind, take pictures of the houses which most appeal. While it’s true that estate agents provide some pictures, these often prove not to be the most accurate. Taking your own pictures will help keep a realistic view of each house in your mind. It may also be worth taking pictures of any areas of concern. That way, you’ll have them to hand when it comes time to choose between all the contenders.
Ease Of Communication:
Talking about communication with regards to technology may seem outdated, but it’s worth mentioning. Never before has it been so easy to keep in contact with the people who matter. You’ll be able to phone or email an estate agent at any time which suits. You no longer have to stick to set meeting times or wait for them to contact you. Now, you can speed the process considerably by turning, yet again, to your trusted phone.
Conclusion:
So you see, technology can make your house move easier in many different ways. No longer are you at the mercy of anyone but yourself. And yes, you could argue that the added responsibility brings a new level of stress to proceedings. But it also helps remove a lot of the pressure. And, it’s a price worth paying for being in the driving seat. After all, it’s your future at stake!