Define your "time wasters" and make sure your agent knows about them. Every real estate agent knows that no house is perfect. Even brand new homes have flaws for some buyers. The best approach for you and your agent is to understand your 'Time Wasters' and avoid them.

You should hear agents buzz about the brand new home that allows someone walking through the entry foyer to see into a laundry room...whoops, who laid out that floor plan?  Or a stunning contemporary flair home on a lot so steep you better have a Jeep!!  When it comes to Time Wasters the list is endless.

Some buyers will only consider living on one-level in a ranch, some insist on two-story. Some folks want the easy maintenance of vinyl siding, some wouldn't be caught dead living there.  Some buyers think a cape is boxy, others find them cozy.

Focus:  If you have small children and are concerned about lead paint, don't look at those charming older homes.

Focus: If you know your schedule won't permit doing home repairs and updating, don't look at fixer-uppers no matter how cheap they are.

Focus: If your young family needs a subdivision setting and you really want that private country setting, think again.  You know you will do what is best for your family.

Focus: If you know that the interstate highway and the noise in the backyard will drive you nuts, don't make an appointment to see that good-looking home on Utopia Drive.

Do you see the pattern, here?

Don't discount the art of compromise when buying a home as it is usually a very necessary part of the process.  But don't waste your time or the agent's time looking at property that have 'Time Wasters".