Buying a home in Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Malibu and Santa Monica – it is not as easy as it sounds!  It is definitely something that, even in this buyer’s market, it is competitive out there and the really great homes go fast!  

To buy a home in West Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Malibu and Santa Monica, you must be thinking about these ten items:

1. Have a general idea of where you want to be.  Do you need to be a great school disctrict, or a more private area, or in walking distance to the village, or does an ocean view suit you best?  Explore areas and get a sense of what is right for you. 

2. Meet with a couple of agents and interview them.  Ask them why you should work with them.  They should have a clear answer to this and you should select who meets your needs best. 

3. Ask you Realtor to do an instant email and/or private website for you so that you are aware by email of new listings when they come to market. 

4. Comb the papers and open houses for listings that might not be in the MLS.  These would be FSBO’s (For Sale By Owner) or even pocket listings that are not on the market yet.  Your agent should obviously bring these to you however not all agents are informed about FSBO’s and pocket listings and you don’t want to miss on something because your agent is not informed.

5. Talk with your friends to see if they know of anyone selling a home in the area you desire. 

6. Ask your agent to knock on doors in the area you desire so they can determine if there are homes for sale that might meet your needs. 

7. Ask your agent who they will be calling each week (agents and possible sellers alike) to find a home for you. 

8. Ask your agent if their website has a seller capture page to get early information on potential sellers visiting their site and their type of home to sell.

9. Ask your agent if they have Search Engine Optimization in place to move their rankings to the top of the search engines (ie:  Yahoo) that people use when searching for an agent to sell (or buy) their home. 

10. Ask your agent what their Social Media strategy is and how that will optimize your results in finding a home. 

You see, buying a home in Brentwood, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and Malibu is not easy.  Reason?  The really beautiful homes that are priced very well go very fast and generally to the best informed clients.  They are pocket listings, MLS listings, brand new listings, or listings that have been reduced to rock bottom prices.  These are the values.  They are wonderful when they show up so be ready!  Have your pre-approval in place and be ready to make an offer and get an answer fast. 

Questions or comments, please call, email or visit us on Facebook, Twitter or Linked In.   We look forward to hearing from you!