How To Buy a Home In a Place You Don't Live

Guest Writer: Sally Norton

Purchasing a home comes with a set of potential difficulties and challenges. Even though it's quite a straightforward process, specific problems can always arise. For example, if you were to go the untraditional route and buy a home in a place you don't live and aren't very familiar with, you would need to try a lot harder. Nevertheless, although a demanding process, it's not impossible to achieve. In the spirit of purchasing a home successfully and efficiently, we've come up with some valuable tips.

Set your budget ASAP
Even though this should be the number one step, whether you're buying a home in a neighborhood near you or in a place you don't live, it's even more critical now. If you're unfamiliar with the home prices in the area you're looking into, you won't be able to create a realistic plan. For this reason, you should first try to find a nice place in your price range and then create a stricter budget that you'll follow. Although people usually go over their budgets a bit, your chances of staying somewhere near your limit will be greater if you have a plan.

Calculating the cost of buying a home in a place you don't live in will take some time and effort.

​Consider other costs
Of course, while deciding what your spending limit will be, make sure to take other things into account as well. Here are some often overlooked aspects of purchasing a new home and moving that will affect your financial balance.

• Living expenses

One of the first things you should look into (before even settling on a particular city or area) is the living expenses. Regardless of the home price, this can significantly impact your future quality of life. Make sure that it agrees with your budget and your lifestyle habits.

• Taxes

Every state potentially has a slightly different approach when it comes to taxes. What you're used to might not be applicable any longer.

• Moving costs

Relocation is something that surely awaits you once you close the purchase of your new home. Make sure to be ready for it. Some things to consider are moving company fees, transportation, and the costs of renting storage.

• Potential remodeling costs

If you need to remodel your future home before or during moving in, this can add up too. Remember to expect that your renovation costs go up a bit since that is often the case.

What are your priorities? 
Prioritizing certain things over others is natural if you're looking to buy a home in a place you don't live. Chances are, you won't be able to afford or get everything that you want. No matter if you wish to get some extravagant home features that are a bit over your budget or if you're looking to fully renovate your home, these things could wait. Some areas that you should focus your energy on are more serious repairs and anything that could directly affect your safety.

Hire a reliable RE agency
Especially if you're purchasing a home remotely, you need to find a real estate agent that you trust. Dedicate all your time and energy to finding the perfect person for the job. The truth is, they'll be the main factor, and their contribution will make or break your sale.

It's imperative to have a good and trusting relationship with your RE agent.

​Focus on the bigger picture
Apart from finding the perfect house, what surrounds it also needs to suit your needs. This means that you should check whether the neighborhood is a good fit or not just as much as you're looking into the house itself. One of the best ways to do this is to contact the people who live there and are willing to talk to you. This way, you'll not only get the most important details about the neighborhood, but you'll also see whether you like your future neighbors.

Are virtual tours reliable?
As technology has progressed, you don't need to buy a home in a place you don't live through a hands-on process. You can get through nearly the whole thing from the comfort of your own home. However, ensure that you're doing so through trustworthy sites and always double-check everything.

Organize your long-distance move
Make sure to be completely prepared for when the moving day comes. Organizing your long-distance move will take some time and effort, so don't wait to do it. Hiring movers should be one of the first steps you take. Finding the best experts in Michigan shouldn't be hard since there are great companies out there. Some qualities that you need to prioritize are trustworthiness, transparency, good communication, and flexibility.

Visit at least once
Even if you live far away, you need to organize at least one trip and visit the home you wish to purchase before making any final decisions. Simply put, there could always be some oversights on your RE agent's end that don't even have to be intentional. Although this doesn't have to be anything serious, there could be some minor home repairs you'll want to finish before the move-in day comes.

Inspection is necessary if you wish to buy a home in a place you don't live
If you don't feel competent enough to inspect your property in-depth, you should visit it with a team of inspectors. 

Make sure to find a good home inspector to help you see ​whether a home you're looking at is a good fit.

​Potential challenges

• You might not like the place

If you're purchasing a home from afar and you don't put enough research into it, you could end up not liking the place. However, don't rush to dismiss it, even if this is the case. Fitting in is never easy, and it can take some time.

• Finding work

One of the main things you have to focus on, preferably before moving, is finding a job. Don't relocate without making sure that you're financially set.

• Fraudulent sellers

If you want to buy a home remotely, the number one worry is whether you can trust your RE agents and sellers. This is why double-checking is so essential.
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As you can see, if you need to buy a home in a place you don't live, you can do so pretty easily with all the modern technology. The process won't differ much from buying a house in your current neighborhood. But it will demand a bit more caution.

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​Sally Norton is a freelance copywriter based out of Miami, with a flare for writing optimized articles. Her experience is focused on moving, travel, real estate and overall guides to help people with some challenging projects and endeavors. In her spare time, Sally enjoys yoga and walks with her dogs - Mane & Rex.