Searching for a new home is often full of second-guessing and weighing all the pros and cons. After all, this is likely one of the largest purchases you’ll make in a lifetime. At a time where the inventory of homes for sale are at a record low, your options are probably not as plentiful as you’d like. Given how quickly homes are selling, you don’t have the luxury to sleep on it. Nothing is worse than calling your Realtor® one or two days later to make an offer only to find out the sellers accepted one yesterday. Use these simple tests of logic and gut feelings to help you decide whether it’s time to make an offer. An ethical Realtor® should never pressure you into buying a house, but a realistic one will tell you if your instincts are giving you the good vibes, don’t wait.

1. The outside makes you want to enter. Curb appeal is always a great start when pulling up to a home. Sometimes there’s something stronger than usual making you love the outside of the home and you want to see the inside as soon as possible.

2. You have a warm feelings within the first three to five seconds of entering. It feels like home and you are compelled to explore further in every room of the house. This is the opposite feeling of when you enter a home and get a negative vibe right away.

3. The house fulfills your basic needs. It’s not realistic to find a home that meets every desire on a wish list. If one hits the most important needs in terms of location, space, number of bedrooms, and overall layout, then you’re in good shape. Maybe it doesn’t have a sprawling deck in the back yard or one out of two bathrooms is pretty outdated. If other major concerns are met, these type of items might be ones you’re willing to handle yourself. Be flexible when you’re having a good experience during a showing.

4. You can easily envision how your furniture and other décor fits in the house. Having fun thinking about layout and décor in the house? That’s a good sign that you feel comfortable in the space. Conversely, if you have a lot of concerns about more than one room being big enough for your sectional couch or king size bed, you might not be in the right space.

5. You’re comfortable exploring the bathroom. Let’s face it, the bathroom is a private area of the house. If you don’t feel comfortable walking in, touching the cabinets and countertops, and examining the storage space, then that’s not a great sign. You want to feel at ease in a bathroom. If it’s a home that requires some bath updates then you want to make sure the bathroom can be livable until you’re able to change it.

6. You lose interest in viewing other homes. If you have a couple more homes on your list to see that day or the next and you suddenly aren’t as interested to see them, you’ve probably found your home. That “this is it” feeling is strong and compelling.

7. You can’t wait to tell others about this home. If the house gives you such excitement that you want to tell your friends and family about it, then you’ve probably found the one.

8. Your instincts are telling you to go for it. You’re nearly certain that you should make an offer but a nagging thought is telling you that you’re moving too quickly. If the home fulfills your priority needs in addition to making you love it for its other charms and features, don’t ignore the instinct that this is the right one. In a market where houses that show well go quickly, you may not get another opportunity for this home and your search will continue.

You don’t need to feel one hundred percent positive about everything in a house to make an offer. You do need to have a strong sense that you like a particular home better than others you’ve seen and that you can envision yourself comfortable living there. Ensure that it has what you need most or can be altered to suit your needs within the range of effort that you’re willing to make.

Platinum Service Realty