Buying a house in your neighborhood is complicated enough, but it gets even worse when you’re trying to relocate to another state. Trying to make a long-distance purchase makes the entire process much more stressful, but there are a few different things you and your realtor can do to make it easier.
While it’s always good to have a realtor you trust when looking for a home, it’s almost vital you have a great one when you’re trying to buy real estate in another location. Since you won’t be able to look at every house yourself, the realtor will have to do some of the leg work, and you’ll have to rely more on his or her recommendations. You may only have a weekend or a few days to look at potential properties, so you can only look at the ones that best fit you. Finding a great realtor should be at the top of your list, especially one who fits your needs—one who works in a specific neighborhood, a gay or lesbian realtor, etc.
If at all possible, you want to schedule at least a few days to visit your new home and look at the properties your realtor has selected for you. This may be expensive, however, since you may need to pay for airfare, a hotel room, and a rental car. Some people might not be able to afford that, so they may have to rely on the realtor’s expertise even more than usual.
Fortunately, if you’re relocating for work, many businesses do offer a small amount of relocation pay. This may not let you visit the area first, but it is often enough to pay for a hotel for a few weeks while you search for more permanent housing. That may be enough time to find a great house, but it may not be enough time to actually go through closing. In that case, you should be prepared to pay for your temporary accommodations for a little longer. If there are any complications with the sale, you may end up living out of a hotel room for a few months. Your employer may pick up the tab, but they may not.
There is one other option: find an apartment or other house for rent with a short-term lease and use the time to find a home. Doing this allows you to look at the options yourself, and you have time to handle any emergencies that occur during closing.
