What is a realistic number of homes you should view prior to buying

This is an interesting question and one that is very difficult to answer...

The short answer is "as many as it takes to find a home for you".

The long answer is complicated and will likely change depending on your circumstances.

Purchasing a home will most likely be the single largest investment someone ever makes. As such, it is important to make sure you find a home that meets your current, and future, needs.

We tell our buyers to list home qualities and features into three categories:
1) Must Haves -- things you simply can not live without
2) Nice to Haves -- things that would be nice, but you could do without
3) Can't Haves -- things you simply can not live with.

Armed with a detailed list of these three items, a good agent can include and exclude many homes from your potential search. As more homes are visited, it becomes easier (most of the time) to refine the potential homes that may work for you. Be prepared, sometimes you may find things actually move around in your three categories!

Before you begin viewing homes it is important to discuss in detail with your agent the strategy and approach you will take to find, and view homes. There are agents out there that limit how many homes they will show someone -- an utterly ridiculous practice in my opinion.

I've heard some agents say "no one should have to look at more than 10 homes before deciding which one to buy".

Poppycock.

Everyone is different. We've helped people who bought a home after looking at 3 houses, and have other people we've shown over 100 homes to. It is important not to get into "analysis paralysis" and second-guess everything. It's also important not to pass up on a home you love "just in case" something better is out there. But by taking a systematic approach to looking at homes, keeping your priorities in order, and working closely with your agent, you can find the home that is perfect for you.

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