Buying your first home is a lot of pressure and stress that can consume peoples’ lives. Regardless of whether you have a group of people supporting you or you’re going it alone, there are a lot of things that are going to surprise you along the way. Here are five steps to buy a house that everyone looking to buy a home should know before purchasing.
Sellers Are Human Too
Sellers are also just human beings. They can make mistakes, seem flighty, get nervous or frustrated, and be hard to reach. Unfortunately, if you buy from them, they’re going to be in your life until the sale goes through. Treat sellers respectfully, and they may listen to your lower bids and requests for them to cover the closing costs.
Don’t Look Outside Of Your Price Range.
Undoubtedly while driving or walking around your city, you’ll see a beautiful house. Maybe you’ll point it out to your realtor, and they’ll warn you it’s way above budget: but you’ll say you want to see it on a fun whim. It’ll have everything you want, stunning curbside appeal, a five-piece bathroom that could make Greek bathhouses look like puddles, an HGTV all-white kitchen: and then you’ll remember at the end that it’s a hundred thousand dollars out of your price range. The feeling of falling in love with a house outside of what you can afford is a real tragedy. Be smart about this, and avoid looking at any homes you know you couldn’t afford.
Talk To Neighbors
When you look at homes, you should talk to the people next door or in the neighborhood if they’re out and about. People who already live in the area will be more honest about what it’s like living there, and you’ll find out little facts that nobody else would have told you. You may find out the property has been broken into before or that it’s flooded in the last ten years, and the seller has declined to tell you about it.
Be Honest About Projects
When you’re looking at properties, it’s easy to make big promises and hopeful agendas, but you have to be honest with yourself. If you have a hard time starting projects now, a new home will not change that. Look at how much work has to be done, and figure out how long it will take to do it. If it’s not within a period that you can dedicate to it: drop the house.
Ugly Paint Is Just Paint
One of the biggest things home buyers need to realize is that many cosmetic things that scare them away from buying a home can be fixed for less than a thousand dollars. Do the current homeowners have a peculiar taste in murals? Did you notice some strange decor choices? That’s fine! Move past it. If you only focus on what the current owners have done with a palace, you’re missing the point on what you’re doing when shopping for a house. Try not to cut yourself short like this.
