Buying a home is a large decision. Some buyers can look at 5 properties and will buy the best one while others need to look at twenty to fifty properties in order to make a purchase. So when should a home buyer start looking at property?

I have dealt with buyers who got the urge to move or buy a 2nd home, started looking at property and bought one rather quickly. I have worked with buyers that have been looking haphazardly for the last 5 years and still have not bought a home.

Real estate agents are contacted every day by prospects who want go out and look at property. Even people who don’t really have the capabilities of buying. Good Realtors ask the question, “When are you looking to close on a property?” This is a necessity because too many people want to look at property far too early in the process.

A potential buyer contacted me recently about making a purchase. Like a smart agent I asked him, “when do you want to close on a property?” His response was that he was looking to buy in about 18 months. However, he still wanted to go look at numerous properties that he has picked out.

In my opinion, this guy is starting too early. The real estate market changes daily. Properties sell, go under contract, expire without selling and new ones come on daily. When you look at property today there is a strong chance that the home you look at today will be sold or will no longer be on the market in a year or two from now. Why waste your and your Realtors time by looking at a bunch of homes that you won’t buy.

It is important to learn the market before you make a purchase. You can do this without grabbing a Realtor and seeing a bunch of property. If your purchase date is far off then just go look at Sunday open houses if you have to get inside a home. If you hired a good, competent real estate agent then have them send you detailed information about properties for sale, recently sold, under contract and those recently expired. This will give you a good understanding of the market.

Once the buyer has a good understanding of the market it is easier to spot the great deals. There is nothing wrong with a home buyer visiting open houses but they really should not drag a Realtor out looking at numerous homes when their purchase date is far off.

Seeing too many properties for too long can create “paralysis of analysis.” This is where you get so confused and overwhelmed by what you have seen that you become paralyzed and never make a purchase. If you truly want to buy a home avoid looking at too many houses. Remember, there is no such thing as a perfect home.

To prevent paralysis a buyer should start looking at numerous homes within 30 to 60 days of their anticipated home purchase date. They are sure to be up to speed on the market, be very efficient and won’t get bogged down with too much information. A wise home purchase can be made using this formula.

Marc Rasmussen helping buyers find houses in Sarasota.