Must-haves on your international house hunting checklist
If you are preparing for your international house hunting we have some tips and checklists for you. Buying a house is hard enough even if it’s in the city you already live in. If you add some miles to this combination it can become pretty complicated especially when you are buying a house on a whole another continent. But, don’t worry. We are here to help you out and show you who else can help you along the way. Making checklists is the best way to stay organized so we will be sharing some of those as well. Now, let’s begin.
10 must-haves on your international house hunting checklist
- A mortgage preapproval letter
- Your own homebuying wish list
- Real estate apps
- A real estate agent
- Your own research on neighborhoods
- Bring an open mind about for-sale by owner deals
- Find several home inspection companies
- A list of home warranty companies
- Find a home inspector for each area you see the houses in
- Caution of scam warning signs
Some of the above-mentioned are pretty self-explanatory, so let’s focus on the other ones for a second.
10 must-haves on your international house hunting checklist, pay special attention to those!
Real estate apps
We are talking about apps that can help you to go house hunting online. You can do that from your own home. Zillow is the most famous app for that. Of course, every country has its very own version of Zillow. For example, in Serbia, you have nekretnine.rs in France you have LeBonCoin. They are pretty much the same thing. You can see prices, more information about the house itself and pictures. That’s the most important after all. Some apps will allow you to see a full video of the place and some will show you just some pictures that the owner provided. But those apps are just here to give you a better picture of the current state and prices.
A real estate agent and a checklist for interviewing one
Real estate can make a huge difference when buying a home. They are able to find you a much better place and even get you a better price. They make all the difference. But not all realtors are the same. That’s why you need a reliable and experienced one. When interviewing realtors you want to make sure that :
- they have market experience, top realtors will know all the neighborhoods you are interested in
- your realtor has a nice personal touch since buying a house especially somewhere far away is an emotional affair and you need someone who will understand you
- they have great communicational skills otherwise they won’t be of much help
But make sure to be upfront with your realtor. Tell them everything from what kind of house you want to the exact budget you have set and all the little details between.
Let’s discuss number six on our international house hunting checklist
We are talking about keeping an open mind about for-sale-by-owner deals. That means if you see a sign that the house is for sale in the area you are interested in and you like the place from outside you should give them a call. Sometimes people sell houses this way to avoid the fee for realtors.
Home inspector
Just like when moving internationally you want reliable movers like Transparent International you also want a home inspector to check out the place you wish to buy. Sometimes it’s easy to miss the red flags and they have trained eyes. That’s the reason why it’s worth the money to hire a home inspector. They can save you from a potential disaster.
A home inspector will be able to see all the warning signs.
Scam warning signs list
- If you hear that you can’t see the house – even though its obvious but let’s mention it – just continue your international house hunting, this sounds way too fishy
- In case you get asked to wire funds directly to a seller or agent (there should always be a third-party attorney or escrow company involved) so this is a huge red flag
- if the home is being sold with “rent-to-own” terms
Choosing the right country for you
It is so hard to choose the right country. Every place you see will have some ups and downs. You need to figure out what works best for you. Is that a job opportunity or good schools for kids… It all depends and you need to take some time to figure this out. Also to do detailed research before making any decision. If you are moving with your family you need to make sure that they too are included in the decision-making. Even the kids.
Choosing will not be easy.
Moving internationally after you are done with house hunting
After you are done with your international house hunting (and choosing before that) the time will come for you to pack all your household belongings and move. You will be moving far away so this will not be easy. You also need to determine the exact cost of your upcoming relocation. Relocations can get quite costly, but if you have the time to plan everything and prepare you can figure out ways to cut some costs. If you are hiring professional movers you should ask for the free moving estimate since all good moving companies will give you one and then you can plan your budget.
International movers
This is the easiest and the only stress and hassle-free way to move internationally. There are simply too many logistics and customs rules you need to pay attention to and you are already busy and tired from the home-buying process. That’s why it’s smart to hire professionals to deal with logistics and heavy lifting. Here is a piece of good news for you – movers can also do all the packing for you. You can get a full service and have a great moving experience.