home buying tips
So, as you may or may not know, we are selling our home and buying a new home. Craziness! It’s been a long process (which we are still going through) and I’ve learned a lot. Even though I’m an HGTV addict, I still learned a few things. If you’re buying your first (or second or third…) home, here are some home buying tips to think about! This isn’t an exhaustive list, but includes some important things to keep in mind.
Timeline
Decide if you’re in a hurry (such as if your lease is ending) or if you’re timeline is more flexible. This will dictate a lot of things. In most areas, people start looking at houses in the spring, which means that’s when more houses are on the market. Keep this in mind if you want more inventory (so springtime would be better) or if you want less competition from other buyers (so fall/winter might be better).
Love Your Realtor
You should feel super comfortable with your realtor. If they are rushing you to buy the first house you see – red flag! Other red flags – they don’t return calls/texts, they take you to awful homes or houses way over budget, they aren’t listening to your wants.
The Future
Think about if you’re looking for your starter home, your forever home or maybe an in-between home. If it’s a starter home, you might be fine with a smaller house, little to no yard, less parking, etc. If you want a forever home, you might want a home to grow into if you’re planning to have a family. As for families, also think about school districts since you’ll be basically stuck once you live there (unless kids will be going to an alternative school).
Amenities/Access
While we’ve looked at houses, access to the main highway I use to get to work was really important to me. I also don’t want to have to travel 20 minutes to get to the grocery store and stuff. Figure out what’s important to you too. If you want to be close to restaurants/stores or if you want to be in a quieter residential area or right in the city, just remember those things are important to you.
Bring your team
We didn’t bring any family members to look at our current house with us before we bought it. But it’s always nice to get a second opinion. My dad is really handy so we have had him look at houses we like now. He can point out stuff that isn’t a huge deal but nitpicky things he notices but the inspector might not care about. Or someone might be able to point out random things to you like making sure there are enough outlets or my mom picking apart how a kitchen will function. Your friends or family members can be super helpful with their personal knowledge, whether it’s professional experience or just long term homeowner tips.
“That Feeling”
You might have a mile long wishlist but you should also trust “that feeling” you get when you know it’s the house for you. Keep the rest of these tips in mind but make sure you are in love with the home and/or see the long term potential.
What tips would you add to this list?? On this home buying/selling process, I’m sharing what I’m learning with you guys. Check out my last post in this Home Buying/Selling Series:
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