Top Four things NOT to do when buying a house...

So you want to buy a house? That’s so exciting!

First things first, let’s go over some things not to do during the exciting and sometimes roller coaster ride that house hunting can be. If you can apply the following four things, I believe the house-hunting process will be more enjoyable for you.

Number 1: Don’t go looking at houses until you are pre-approved by a lender.

Maybe you are just starting the process, and your curiosity is getting the best of you. You just want to look and see what’s out there. Getting pre-approved by a lender may seem like putting the cart before the horse but hear me out, the market is very active right now. Homes are hitting the market and going under contract the same day or the following. If you go and look at homes and find the perfect house, in the perfect school district, in the perfect neighborhood and has all the other perfect things you were looking for and you aren’t yet pre-approved? You will likely miss out on that house. Pre-approval takes a little time, so I suggest getting that step behind you, so when you do find your perfect home, you can make an offer.

Number 2: Don’t look at houses that are over your budget.

I know that it’s fun to look at houses, especially beautiful homes. I’m a Realtor for a reason, I love looking at all kinds of homes, and I love dreaming about homes that are out of my budget. I can’t be the only one, right? I mean, Cribs was a thing for a reason, any other 90’s kids around here? Here’s the problem with looking at homes over your budget. Let’s say you go view a home that’s even just Thirty Thousand over budget for you. Once you view that home and go back to homes in your price range, you will likely be disappointed. Have you ever gone to test drive a nicer car than the one you currently have and suddenly disliked your current car when you got back in it to drive home? Same concept.

Number 3: Don’t get caught up in things that aren’t that important to you. Deal breakers vs. Wishlist

There’re so many things about a house to take into consideration when deciding what house to buy. It’s really important to determine ahead of time what are your true deal breakers. Is location, School District, number of bedrooms, closest happy hours an important thing to you? There’s nothing wrong with that; just be sure to know what those deal breakers are. On the same note, it’s important to determine what is on your wish list but isn’t necessarily going to take a house out of the running if that wish list isn’t met. Maybe you really want Quartz countertops because you think they are beautiful but decide that’s not as important to you as the number of bathrooms or nearest beach. So, before you go house hunting, figure out your deal breakers and your wish list. Here’s the fun part, there’s no right or wrong answers, and you get to decide!

Number 4: Don’t get too emotionally attached

I know you may think I’m crazy. This is the biggest financial investment of your life. You have finally found exactly what you have been looking for. Your Unicorn has arrived, and you say don’t get emotionally attached?! I get it. I remember so many tears shed when I was looking for my first home. One house after another fell through for various reasons, and I was a mess. Here’s what I wish I knew then. Things always have a way of working out. Even if it means that first Unicorn wasn’t your home and you found a different, better, bigger and more beautiful Unicorn. Try to remain calm during the transaction and remember that everything tends to work itself out in the end.

I hope these tips helped, and happy house hunting!! It can be a crazy process but have fun with it. Call me today to talk about finding your perfect home!