Newsflash: Finally Got a House. My experience. Might help.

We have been looking for almost a year. We sold our house in the ‘burbs last August because we couldn’t handle the property taxes. But we couldn’t find another, so we have been living in a rental. Our agent was mostly not engaging. My daughter said, mom, he knows you are looking under your budget. He’d rather spend time with someone who will make him more. And you aren’t pushing the bidding wars above what the house is worth in your brain. And a lightbulb went off. So many realtors have been working for fast money that they have forgotten how to work. We switched realtors.We are under contract now. ONE—Get a hungry agent who will work for you. We are using a VA loan and she made suggestions to help our offer look more enticing. It’s hard to beat cash. TWO—check Zillow like to view ratioIf a house has 10 percent or more (like 167 saves to 1500 views) walk on by if you can. It’s not making it to open house. You’ll lose out to cash or a conventional loan or get yourself in a bidding war.THREE—make a list of 6 or 7 things you must have and stick to it. We realized our must haves made it easier to pass on houses and refined our search. And helped us get a house others didn’t want. Here’s our list: 1. No evidence of pets in house or yard. (we have cats, but not lingering smells or permanent damage) 2. Larger yard with established trees. 3. CLEAN. Move in ready. 4. Hardwood floors. 5. No road noise. 6. Pool 7. Ranch one level. The perfect house 100k under budget came available. Didn’t have a basement. Dated bathrooms. Dated kitchen. But it had all the things on my list. So we feel like we got a steal. Key takeaway: a good realtor will help you find a house that fits your needs. Not your friends’ or family’s expectations. And it was worth sticking to my plan.