The Home Buying Process

A Step-by-Step Process for Finding Your Next Home

Your first step is choosing the general area where you want to live. Consider your lifestyle and the benefits and drawbacks of various locations such as:

• In-town vs. rural settings
• Established neighborhoods newer subdivisions
• East side vs. West side of the Fox River

Other features that could factor into your decision include school districts, proximity to Metra or frequently traveled transportation routes, and the distance you're willing to travel to your workplace.

Your search for a new home should begin with basic decisions like these. The Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois usually shows an inventory of about 35,000 homes - and the inventory can far exceed that number during the peak selling period. This first step will help to narrow the physical area and, accordingly, the selection of properties available that might be right for you.

Once you've defined a general area, it's time to bring more focus to your search. Drive around and select several neighborhoods that appeal to you on the surface. Now it is time to explore the “for sales” in your chosen areas. Warning: this this is when you could experience “sticker shock.”

The asking price for a run-down property on a beautiful riverfront lot may be more than that of new construction in an upscale development just a few blocks away. This, then, is when one needs to rank priorities and determine the price range you can realistically afford - a range that will cause neither emotional nor budgetary strain on your lifestyle.

Do you want to live in the historic district, close to town in distinct neighborhoods with block parties - but in an older home that may have fewer modern amenities? Do you want space on a rural country acre where community is not as easily achieved but where you have more privacy (and, indeed, more driving time to piano lessons and soccer practice)? Do you want the new construction and the lower maintenance – but less individuality – in the larger subdivisions?

Now you are ready to look in earnest and the next step is to choose your Realtor. Many prospective buyers call the agency listed on the “For Sale” sign in front of a house; the salesperson on call that particular day will answer your call and will be more than willing to show you the property. This "hit or miss" scenario doesn't really offer you a choice and you have no way of knowing whether the person that answers your call will be the very best person to guide you through one of the most important decisions you'll ever make; in fact, it is choice by default.

At Miscella Real Estate, the choice is all yours. As an independent company focused on Central Kane County and the Fox River Valley, we provide a special brand of personal service and attention that the "big companies" find difficult to match. And though we might be a "small fish" in the big sea of real estate companies, our realtors are well equipped to serve you with the same tools and resources that the "big" firms use.

If the beautiful Fox River Valley is your choice as a place to call home, then your next choice should be Miscella Real Estate. We hope you'll give us the chance to demonstrate our unique brand of personal service, local knowledge and commitment to you. Call us, email us or stop by to experience our unique way of doing business.