Finding your next home locally can be challenging. When you add hundreds or even thousands of miles to the equation, it becomes significantly more complicated. Though long-distance house hunting has its unique challenges, it’s not impossible. In fact, we help people with it every day, and with modern technology, it’s never been easier to buy a house remotely. Here are a few critical factors to keep in mind when you find yourself in a home search from afar.
Do your homework
Though nothing can substitute checking out the neighborhood in person, use the internet to look up commute times to work, crime rates in the area, and, most importantly, how the schools rank. Even if you don’t have children or don’t plan to have children, it’s still good to know the quality of the schools for resale.
One of the biggest pieces of the long-distance house-hunting puzzle is to make sure you’re researching and choosing a knowledgeable local real estate agent. It’s always crucial to hire an agent you trust, but with a long-distance search the agent can make or break the experience.
Know what you want
When you’re in the market for a home, you should always have a running list of features you want, but it’s especially crucial when you’re buying from a distance. Most importantly, know what is non-negotiable. Is it being able to step out the front door to walk your dogs? Do you want to walk your kids to school? Do you want to ensure no more than a 30-minute work commute?
Knowing exactly what you want out of a house and location allows your agent to help you narrow down neighborhoods & homes more easily while assisting you in making an offer quickly. This is especially important in fast-moving markets like we often see in Florida.
Budget for travel
It is unusual to find your home on your first trip as the experience can be overwhelming. Unless you are a seasoned moving veteran, it will likely take a few trips just to narrow your search. Even if you choose to build, there are likely a few unexpected trips that will pop up during the construction process. From my perspective, I recommend that each house hunting trip have at least four days on the ground in the new location. Accordingly, you should likely budget a few thousand dollars to spend on plane tickets and a hotel because you will likely have to go back and forth.
Overall, buying a house from a distance shouldn’t be looked at as a negative experience. It can be a nice change of pace. Another benefit to moving long distance is a fresh start: a new neighborhood, new culture, new people, and new experiences everywhere.