From Elizabeth Weintraub,
Your Guide to Home Buying / Selling.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
It's not uncommon for a first-time home buyer to say to me, "Gosh, just last week I called you about buying a home and now I'm in escrow! How did this happen so fast?"
The answer is it didn't. First-time home buyers start the search long before most even realize it.
Here's what you can expect from your home shopping experience.
Figuring Out the Benefits
You should buy a home. That's what you've been hearing from friends and family, right? So, by now you have likely already weighed the benefits and decided that home ownership was the best decision for you. That's a major hurdle now passed. You are focused and certain. Good.
Defining Search Parameters
Almost 80% of all home searches today begin on the Internet. With just a few clicks of the mouse, home buyers can search through hundreds of online listings, view virtual tours, and sort through dozens of photographs and aerial shots of neighborhoods and homes. You've probably defined your goals and have a pretty good idea of the type of home and neighborhood you want. By the time you reach your real estate agent's office, you are halfway to home ownership.
How Long Should It Take to Find What You Want?
In seller's markets, often I show only one home. After all, how many homes does one family need? A few buyers will look for years, but buyers who do that aren't motivated. A motivated buyer will find a home within two weeks. Most of my buyers find a home within two days.

Good real estate agents will listen to your wants and needs and arrange to show only those homes that fit your particular parameters. Your agent should preview homes before showing them to you as well.
How Many Homes Will You See?
Studies show that the your memory dramatically improves after consumption of carbs and slows upon consuming sugar. So, layoff the soft drinks and have a hearty meal of carbs before venturing out to tour homes. The average number of homes that I show to a buyer in one day is seven. Any more than that, and the brain is on overload. Therefore, don't expect to see 20 or 30 homes; although it's physically possible to do so, you probably will not remember specific details about any of them.
The "Red Shoes" Experience
Women will relate to this. Say, you need a new pair of red shoes. You go to the mall. At the first shoe store, you find a fabulous pair of red shoes. You try them on. They fit perfectly. They are glamorous. Priced right, too. Do you buy them? Of course not! You go to every other store in the mall trying on red shoes until you are ready to drop from exhaustion. Then you return to the first store and buy those red shoes. Do not shop for a home this way. When you find the perfect home, buy it.
How to Rate Inventory
• Bring a digital camera and begin each series of photos with a close-up of the house number to identify where each group of home photos start and end.
• Take copious notes of unusual features, colors and design elements.
• Pay attention to the home's surroundings. What is next door? Do 2-story homes tower over your single story?
• Do you like the location? Is it near a park or a power plant?
• Immediately after leaving, rate each home on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.
View Top Choices a Second Time
After touring homes for a few days, you will probably instinctively know which one or two homes you would like to buy. Ask to see them again. You will see them with different eyes and notice elements that were overlooked the first go-around.

At this point, your agent should call the listing agents to find out more about the sellers' motivation and to double-check that an offer hasn't come in, making sure these homes are still available to purchase.
Making the Selection
I'll let you in on a little secret. I generally know which home a buyer is going to choose, and I suspect most other agents operate the same way. It's an intuition. But I make it a practice not to steer buyers, and I insist that buyers choose the home without interference from me. It's not my choice to make.

Real estate agents are required, however, to point out defects and should help buyers feel confident that the home selected meets the buyer's search parameters.
This About.com page has been optimized for print. To view this page in its original form, please visit: http://homebuying.about.com/od/buyingahome/bb/shopping1sttime.htm
©2007 About.com, Inc., a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.

Back to Top

REAL Trends is the nation’s leading publisher
of trends and analysis on the residential
real estate brokerage industry. For 21 years
REAL Trends has been the trusted source
when dealing with industry and consumer
trends in residential realty services covering
changes and strategies in the business of
brokerage, from the Internet to the entry of
new forms of brokerage services.
REAL Trends gathers and publishes
information about the largest firms in the
brokerage industry. We collect data on
yearly sales, transactions, sales of related
products and changes in productivity.
Firms are ranked based on the number
of closed transactions in the most recent
calendar year. Submissions are verified by
sources outside the firm.


We are pleased to present this list of the 25 largest housing services firms in the United
States from our survey of over 800 leading brokerage firms. This ranking is of the largest
diversified real estate service providers that reported at least one settlement service in
addition to brokerage.
1. NRT LLC Parsippany, NJ 326,323 132,101 458,424
2. HomeServices of America, Inc. Minneapolis, MN 152,826 136,050 288,876
3. The Long & Foster Companies Fairfax, VA 86,574 55,802 142,376
4. Allen Tate Company Charlotte, NC 23,007 34,881 57,888
5. Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors Devon, PA 26,766 29,904 56,670
6. Hanna Holdings, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA 26,545 22,993 49,538
7. Crye-Leike, Inc. Memphis, TN 28,849 20,006 48,855
8. Real Living, Inc. Columbus, OH 24,231 13,975 38,206
9. John L. Scott Real Estate Bellevue, WA 17,381 13,928 31,309
10. Coldwell Banker United, Realtors Bryan, TX 27,953 1,282 29,235
11. GMAC Real Estate Oak Brook, IL 19,844 4,957 24,801
12. Shorewest Realtors, Inc. Brookfield, WI 11,782 12,768 24,550
13. Real Estate One Southfield, MI 13,891 9,386 23,277
14. Realty USA Orchard Park, NY 20,690 1,963 22,653
15. RE/MAX Equity Group, Inc. Portland, OR 13,462 4,612 18,074
16. Prudential Douglas Elliman S. Huntington, NY 13,781 3,490 17,271
17. Baird & Warner Inc. Chicago, IL 13,133 4,071 17,204
18. RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Atlanta, GA 13,876 3,060 16,936
19. Prudential Homesale
Services Group Lancaster, PA 10,330 6,423 16,753
20. Metro Brokers, Inc./GMAC Atlanta, GA 9,662 7,004 16,666
21. Hunt Real Estate Corp. Buffalo, NY 9,649 6,909 16,558
22. Coldwell Banker Howard
Perry & Walston Raleigh, NC 8,535 7,888 16,423
23. Watson Realty Corp. Jacksonville, FL 11,552 3,413 14,965
24. Prudential Connecticut Realty Rocky Hill, CT 11,806 2,594 14,400
25. RE/MAX Alliance Arvada, CO 12,543 1,767 14,310

Back to Top

These are tips that won't cost a lot but can
make a big difference on the appearance of your home.
It is amazing how just a little attention to
the details will add that special appeal that the buyer is looking for!


Having your home inspected by a professional home inspector before you list is a recommendation from Dennis DiVito of Apex Home Inspections, LLC.

Eventually your buyers are going to conduct a home inspection. You may as well know what they are going to find by getting there first. Having an inspection performed ahead of time helps in many other ways:
 It allows you to see your home through the eyes of a critical third-party.
 It helps you to price your home realistically.
 It permits you to make repairs ahead of time so that ...
 Defects won't become negotiating stumbling blocks later.
 You have the time to get reasonably priced contractors or make the repairs yourself, if you are qualified.
 It may encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.
 It may alert you of items of immediate personal concern, such as radon gas or active termite infestation (not all inspectors offer these extra services, you can check for radon yourself).
 It may relieve buying prospect's concerns and suspicions.
 It reduces your liability by adding professional supporting documentation to your disclosure statement.
 Alerting you to immediate safety issues before agents and visitors tour your home.
Copies of the inspection report along with receipts for any repairs should be made available to potential buyers.

Be sure the inspector you use is insured and licensed or certified (if your state requires) or at least belongs to a professional organization such as NACHI, ASHI, NIBI.

You can find an inspector nationwide at:




Clean up the outside.
 Curb appeal is the first impression of your house. Keeping the grass cut and the area tidy will help make a great first impression.
 Paint or wash the exterior of the house (including window casings, shutters, and doors).
 Wash the windows inside and out.
 Check the gutters and chimney.
197 Simple, Low-cost Curb Appeal And House Makeover Improvements That Anyone Can Do In A Weekend. Free Landscape Software.



Touch up the interior.
 Put a fresh coat of paint in the most used areas of the home. This will clean as well as brighten up the rooms.
 Wash the walls where paint is not appropriate (i.e. wall paper, paneling).
 Wash all floors and bathroom tiles.
 Shampoo dirty carpets.
 Get rid of clutter. Clean out your closets, garage, basement and attic. Use self storage if necessary.
 Replacing air filters will help keep the dust down.



Replace bathroom and kitchen fixtures that are worn or leaking.
 People will notice a leaking or worn-out faucet. By replacing these items, you will give a new look to the room.
 Clean under the sinks. If there is any leaks fix them. Then clean up the damage using contact paper or paint.

Find and research local contractors, get free no obligation quotes on your home improvement projects.




Get rid of any bad smells in your home.
 Pay attention to pet or cigarette odors.
 Place scented potpourri around the house.
 On the day you're expecting a potential buyer, pop a batch of frozen cinnamon rolls or home-made bread into the oven for a great aroma

Back to Top