While looking at listings online is the first step, there is some more homework you can, and should, do before you go take a look at a home in person to make sure it is one that will fit all your needs and wants. Lynn Norusis from the FOCUS on NoVA Real Estate team gives some tips for you to make sure you are being efficient in your home search.

There are some items that you need to get done before you actually go and step foot into a home with your real estate agent.

The basic, most important thing to do is first and foremost get pre-approved. Speak with a lender, maybe even a couple, to see what the deals are out there that they can get you so you can determine the amount that you can actually afford to buy.

You also want to be taking into account what your wants and needs are in a home so you can have that top priority list because as soon as you get into those homes and start looking you can kind of lose track of what the focus was to begin with in the home that you are wanting to purchase. So make sure you have those items done.

Next you really want to research the area that you’re moving into. This includes making sure you know what the commuter routes are going to look like. Look at what school boundary system is going to be in if you do have children who are going to be in any of the public school systems in the Northern Virginia area. You also want to take a look at what the area amenities are as well as what the specific communities amenities are to see if that’s something that’s really fitting the lifestyle you want and the needs that you want for your next home.

And then, lastly and most importantly, and this is something you can definitely reach out to your real estate agent to help you with as well, is look at what upcoming development is coming to that area so you can get a better understanding as to what that area is going to look like in the next 3, 5, 10 and beyond years because as we all know Northern Virginia has a lot of development happening all the time so you really want to make sure that you are buying a home now and going to know what that area for your home is going to look like later.

Now lastly, and also one of the most important things and a really great way to be able to sift through and and really look at if this is a home that you would really want to take further action on, is if you have time on the weekend drive through the neighborhood. You would be amazed at how many times the house looks fantastic in those pictures but as soon as you pull into a neighborhood maybe it’s a little bit too crowded; maybe it’s a little bit too further out; maybe some homes are closer to each other or it’s sitting next to something that you are not particularly interested in having your home sit next to. The only way you’re going to know this is to drive by. In this time of technology, if you don’t have the time to drive by at least pull up a Google satellite picture to take a look at what that surrounding area looks like around the home.

If you have any questions about Northern Virginia real estate, reach out as we are happy to help.