When your offer on a Fort Worth home is accepted, you’ll have a number of things to do to reach the closing. Above all else, insist that all documents to be generated regarding the sale be correct. Ask your realtor to review them with you prior to the closing, so that any errors can be fixed before you sit down with the seller.

1. Immediately notify your mortgage lender, insurance company, moving or relocation firm and have your realtor schedule the closing.


2. Closings are usually done at title companies.


3. Have your realtor check all documentation regarding the sale to insure that any allowances or trade-offs are included, and that all information about the house is correct.

Drive through the residential streets of Fort Worth and look at the homes for their architectural appeal and how they fit with the topography and landscape. Examine traffic patterns and identify where busy intersections, noisy interstates and crowded commercial areas are located, compared to where you want to buy a home.

1. Look for locations that suit your needs.


2. Avoid locations likely to be affected by traffic congestion and sprawling shopping centers or commercial development.


3. Check the Internet for news stories about flooding and storm damage.


4. Stay away from neighborhoods where the “tear-down” phenomenon is occurring. Smaller homes are replaced with oversized residences that don’t fit the neighborhood.

Whether you’re new to the Fort Worth area or shopping for your fourth or fifth house, or even a vacation home, the old adage still holds true: the most important thing to remember is location, location, location!

Determining where you want to live, a new addition or an old, established neighborhood, the distance you’ll be commuting, streets, highways and public transportation, quality of schools, nearby shopping, public parks, churches, medical facilities and other requirements combine to make location the number one priority in a home purchase.

If you’ve lived here for some time, or possibly all of your adult life, you’ll have a fairly good knowledge of where you want to live. However, if you’re moving from out of town, you’ll need to do a Sherlock Holmesian investigation before deciding where you want to live.