Find the Best Property Without Breaking the Bank

If you are looking for the best property but you have a budget or want to come in at a certain price, you need to be smart. Here are 7 ways to find the best property without breaking the bank.

Sort by Price

If you are looking to find the best possible price for property in an area, the first step is to search online and make sure that you have selected to rank the properties by “cheapest first” or however it is listed, as long as it gives you the cheaper properties first.

Set up an automatic alert

Most online estate agents are happy to provide you with the chance to set up an automatic alert. If you want to be informed about property within a certain price range or in a certain area, ask for this alert to be set up (or do it yourself online) and give yourself the best chance to hearing about affordable property when it comes available, or when the price is lowered so it falls into your budget.

There is a lot to be said for being first in the property market so make sure you give yourself every chance of being first when suitable property comes available.

Put in the leg work

If you are looking to find affordable homes, you need to do a lot of leg-work in the hope of finding value and bargains. You may be lucky and come across a great deal or bargain very early on in the process but it may be that you need to look further than the first homes that come up or the ones that are listed first.

If you have patience and you are committed to researching property, you will increase your chances of finding affordable property.

Make a lot of offers

When it comes to getting value for money, you may need to submit a lot of offers. You don’t know the personal circumstances or situations of every buyer and if they are smart, they aren’t going to give anything away too early on.

If you have the time and patience to make a number of offers, start low. You may get lucky and find that some seller has a need to sell quickly, which would make your offer a lot more attractive than it actually is.

Can you do anything with a fixer-upper?

If you have the time, patience or skills to redevelop a home and make a lot of improvements, there are bargains to be found in homes that are run-down or not at their best. If you are looking for a home you can move in to quickly and settle down straight away, this isn’t a good tactic for you but it is an option for people who have time and skills on their side.

Check out auctions and other non-traditional methods

There are many ways to find homes for sale and while your search should start online with the leading property portals, it doesn’t hurt to expand your search if you can. Property auctions are an ideal way to find property for a low price and make sure you ask around and have conversations about property searches. You never know who is looking to sell a property or when you know someone that knows someone else.

Be sure to keep an eye open when you check out areas because you may even see signs saying “For Sale By Owner” and a FSBO property may give you the chance to find great value for money.

Can you move outside your area?

There is a lot to be said for broadening your search area, and if you have the time, patience and means to commute, you can find great value in looking for property outside of the main cities and key areas. This may not be suitable for everyone but when it comes to finding great value, expanding your search focus will often make a big difference.

If you follow these tips, you will significantly increase your chances of finding the best property in your price range.