When you’ve got to buy a house long distance, start with a strategy.
Searching for a house locally is not without its difficulties. Add hundreds or even thousands of miles to the equation, and it becomes more complicated.
Though long-distance house hunting has its unique challenges, it’s not impossible. In fact, with the right agent and the convenience of modern technology, it’s never been easier to buy a house remotely.
Here are a few critical factors to keep in mind when you find yourself in a home search from afar.
Do your homework
When it comes to long-distance home shopping, the Internet is your friend. You know the neighbourhoods you live around, but you know nothing about your new one. You don’t know where the mall is, the clinics, or the schools.
Though nothing can replace checking out the neighbourhood in person, It’s advisable looking up commute times to work, crime rates in the area, and, most importantly, how the schools rank. Even if you don’t have children or don’t plan to have children, it’s still good to know the quality of the schools for resale purposes.
One of the biggest pieces of the long-distance house-hunting puzzle, however, is to make sure you’re researching who the best local real estate agents are. It’s always crucial to hire an agent you trust, but with a long-distance search, the agent can make or break the experience.
You’re going to want someone who is very familiar with the city, neighbourhood, and prices. You need to get a feel for how that person operates. Are they available to talk to you? You’re going to have more questions than you realize, and your agent is going to need to be there to answer them.
Have a travel budget
Take an example of a couple, John and Mary, they find out they will need to move from Nairobi to Nakuru for Mary’s job. The couple looks at listings online, gets in touch with real estate agents, and pick an upcoming weekend to house hunt in person.
Their agent will show them multiple houses, but nothing is quite right. Then they find out that many of the older neighbourhoods in the area don’t have great access to high-speed Internet. That’s when they decide to build.
Their agent will be instrumental in guiding them on their short house-hunting weekend, and in finding a builder. Basically, their agent will help them with everything, every step of the way. Especially when they can’t find anything. They’ll answer questions and helps them find the building company. They’ll even help find a hotel for the weekend.
Furthermore, it’s advisable to be prepared and plan ahead. Be flexible. Make sure you have a few thousand shillings in reserve that you can spend on a hotel and fare — because you will have to go back and forth.
From the agent perspective, Kenya Homes recommends planning a house-hunting trip that’s at least four to five days long, so you’re not cramming in tons of site visits that you won’t remember at the end of the day.
Know what you want
When you’re in the market for a home, you should always have a running list of features you want, but it’s especially crucial when you’re buying from a distance.
Knowing exactly what you want out of a house and location allows your agent to help you narrow down neighborhoods and homes more easily, and assist you in making an offer quickly, which is especially important in a fast-moving market.
Kenyan buyers need to get over the fear of accepting an offer when they haven’t seen the house in person. The real estate agent can video chat your way through the house, but they can’t get you on a matatu at the same time the local people can who are house hunting.
Overcome long distance buying jitters
For those buyers who are nervous about accepting an offer sight unseen, there is the possibility of adding a clause in the contract that the sale is conditional on the buyer seeing it.
Of course, there is also always the option of renting first before you take the leap. You could rent for the short term or get a six-month lease, which is enough time to get settled in your job or routine. That can be nice for buyers who are a little more anxious about the process to relieve that anxiety.
In conclusion:
Buying a house from a distance shouldn’t necessarily be looked at as a negative experience. In fact, we believe it can give many shoppers new opportunities, and buyers are often more excited when purchasing long distance.
It can be a nice change. Also moving long distance is a fresh start: a new county, new community and new experiences everywhere.