Home buying tips – [Ask MetaFilter] … Shop around for a real estate agent. Mine refused to let me sign a buyer’s agreement until we went through one round of house hunting (and then he asked me to take it home, read it, and call with any questions). That way neither of you are stuck with a poor personality fit. The buyer’s agent should work for you and disclose any conflicts in advance of viewing a house (such as being a dual realtor for a piece of property). Make sure they know how much you are WILLING to spend, not ABLE to spend. Only tell them you can come up with XX% for a downpayment, not a $XX amount. If you get a weird feeling from a seller, like I did on the first house I really wanted, walk away. They are not ready to sell and you will jump through hoops and get nowhere. If a house seems really overpriced for the area, they may be using a bank’s evaluation of the property. This will be skewed, as they want to give the homeowner the biggest loan to make the most money. This is not necessarily what the house is actually worth, but the homeowner will not want to take a “loss”…
