It took Bradley and I six months to find and close on a home. We went under contract on four different houses and had to terminate three of them for three different reasons. I feel like we learned A LOT during this process and I want to share it with anyone looking to buy a home.
Starting the home buying process can be very intimidating, especially when you’re a first time home buyer like Bradley and I. I am a Realtor, so I have a behind the scenes look of what the process is like, but being the ones actually purchasing the home is a very different experience. I want to share some tips that we learned and I hope it helps you if you are looking to buy a home.
TIP #1 : be patient
It took Bradley and I almost 6 months to actually buy a house. We started looking in January and closed on our house in June. If you have the time to be patient, it allows you to find something you really like.
TIP #2 : stay in your budget
It is really easy to get lost in the over budget land. If your budget is $250,000 don’t go looking at $300,000 houses. After looking at a more expensive house you will be let down once you go back to your budget.
TIP #3 : just because you made an offer doesn’t mean you will get the house
We went under contract on 4 different houses. That was really hard for me because I started to envision myself in each house once we went under contract. There are a lot of things that can happen between the time you go under contract and actually close, so until you sign the papers, the house is not yours! It’s okay to start planning and putting yourself in the home, just know that anything can happen!
TIP #4 : figure out your “must-haves” and your “just wants”
Bradley and I decided that a couple of our “must-haves” were : a big backyard for the dogs, an office area, and at least 3 bedrooms. We had to give up some of our “wants” to get some of our “must-haves” and that was okay. We got what we really wanted and in the end we are very happy.
Tip #5 : there’s no perfect house
Bradley says “unless you have an unlimited budget, there’s no perfect house.” If you are looking for the perfect house that you will walk into and don’t have to do a thing to, and love every single thing about it, you will be let down. There’s always going to be something you don’t like, or something you’re going to have to fix.
I hope these tips will help someone looking to buy a house. Although it took us 6 months, we really enjoyed the home buying process and are so glad all of the other houses fell through. Whatever is meant to be, will be, and you definitely have to remind yourself of that throughout the process.
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As always, all opinions and text are my own.
Stay Sweet! Stay Healthy! ♡
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