Buying your next Greenville County home should be a wonderful experience. It does not have to be a stressful and anxious experience. Follow these tips and you will be well on your way to making your next home experience one you will fondly remember.

1) You have heard the term location, location, location! Do some homework before you go looking for your new home. Even if it meets all of your requirements is the home located in an area that is convenient to schools, shopping, interstates and is the area positioned to grow? You can be sure that CVS, Starbucks, and Bloom do a lot of homework before they decide to go into an area. When they go into an area it is an area which is poised to grow. This does not mean you need to be near a any of these stores but you should work with a professional realtor that can help you analyze areas your are considering.

2) You just are not buying a home, you are investing in an area. So you have found the perfect home for your family, what next? Stand at the front door and look around you in every direction. Get in your car and drive around the entire area within a square mile or so. What do you see? Is there anything that concerns you? Too many buyers focus on just the home but the area and what surrounds it can have a lot to do with growth and the future resale value of your home.

3) Advice can be good, but who is it coming from? I can't tell you how many buyers I have worked with over the years that found the perfect home for them and then they asked the advice of parents or their siblings or some other friends. Please remember that very few parents, siblings or other friends are professionals when it comes to buying a home. They speak more from emotion and they almost feel like they have to find something wrong with the home or the area to gain your respect or to feel they have contributed. If you have done your homework and worked with a professional Realtor there will be a lot of reasons to have faith in your decision based on sound advice.

4) If you have young children, have you searched the area for sexual offenders?  How would you feel if you have two young girls and you find out after closing the man living next door is a registered sexual offender? Doing your homework now, will make you sleep better at night.

5) Let's make a LOW BALL OFFER! I have heard this more in the past 6 months than I have heard in the past 29 years! With all the talk about foreclosures and short sales the media has scared a lot of buyers and told you to not buy now and if you do, make a low, low offer. This can backfire on you. Sellers are human beings complete with emotions. If you make a very low offer it is likely the sellers will be offended. I have seen sellers that receive real low offers and refuse to negotiate or submit a counter offer. On the other hand I have seen buyers make a "reasonable" offer and get a good deal on a home. Many homes are already priced at rock bottom prices. Making LOW BALL offers way below these already low prices could backfire on you. Again, a professional Realtor can do an analysis for you and you can see where a particular home is priced comparable to other homes that have sold and are pending sale.

6) Hire a Home Inspection. Buying a home without a professional inspection is risky at best. I"ve heard too many buyers tell me they are are comfortable with a home they have made an offer on and don't need a professional home inspection. The most common problems that can become major problems are often unseen to the average person.  I have seen furnaces that are on their last legs. I have also seen mold in crawl areas of newer homes. The $250-$350 you will spend on a private home inspection is the best money you will spend on your new home. Not only will the inspection disclose flaws of the home, a good inspector will give you sound written advice on maintaining your home for the years to come. Also, please remember that relatives and friends have great intentions but they are not professional inspectors and could end up costing you thousands if you allow them to do your inspection.

7) Let's go buy that new car or furniture now that we have a home in escrow! Wait a minute! If you have made an offer on a home and closing is pending the last thing you want to do is go create any new debt before closing. Remember, your mortgage lender has approved you based on your current income/debt ratio among other factors. If you go out and splurge on new furniture or a new car you not only change your income/debt ratios, you could shoot yourself in the foot by all of a sudden not qualifying for that new home.

The home buying process can be a painless and wonderful experience. Follow these tips and you will be well on your way on having the home of your dreams.

Get started on your home search by going to www.HomesAroundGreenville.com