Shopping for a Home in Seattle Online: So you know you want to live in the Seattle, WA area but it doesn’t seem feasible to see houses in person. You’re not alone: many people don’t want to have to rent before they buy when they move to Washington. Luckily, it’s possible to do a very thorough house search and make a purchase from afar given modern technology.
A Trusted Agent Gives You the Neighborhood Context
While the biggest need as a family shopping for a home online is to know what you want, a great agent is going to help you find where all your wishlist items live. For instance, you may have a couple of ideas for neighborhoods but realize that they are out of your price range. Your agent can hear your three top priorities that drew you to those neighborhoods and find a great third place to look that has lower average prices.
Be Ready to Jump In Quickly Once a Home Checks Your Boxes
One of the hardest things to do with a home purchase is to strike while the iron is hot. In seller’s markets, the whole deal may be complete within 24-48 hours, so once you’ve seen a home, even virtually, you have to make a decision about an offer. Your agent will give you everything they can, but as an online shopper, you’ll want to be able to say “yes!” with enthusiasm when you’ve seen a place that will work for you.
Decide Ahead of Time What Steps Can Stay Entirely Virtual
Now, not everyone is up for a fully online process, and that’s okay! Some people want to shop online but still need to hustle to Seattle and see homes before placing an offer. Others want to fly or drive in for the home inspections, so that they can see if there is any red flag that merits changing or terminating the contract. Finally, many choose to buy entirely online but fly in for the final walkthrough before closing. Figure out what works for you, because you don’t want to buy sight unseen unless you’re confident that you’ll be happy with that decision.
Figure Out Which Parts of Your Financing and Closing Can Be Online
The biggest hurdle after you make the choices we’ve addressed is making sure that you can close online or arranging for a mail-away closing. Talking to your lender or title company can help you learn what options are available to you and whether you need to be in-person for the final paperwork of the deal or not.
The best part of buying a home online is the fact that, once you move to town for the first time, you’ll be able to move right into the home you’re going to stick with for a while. With virtual tours and plenty of ways to see the details of the home from afar, you can definitely buy online and feel you know what you’re choosing to invest your hard-earned money into. An agent provides the rest of the picture, through their knowledge and their assessments of the specific home you want.