Buying a home
So you’ve decided to start looking for a home. Congratulations! Your home is probably one of the biggest single investments you will make in your life, and, it’s one of the best. In the long term, property almost always increases in value. When you compare making a mortgage payment to making a rent payment, well, a mortgage payment is really an investment in yourself and your own investment portfolio. Making a rent payment is really making an investment in someone else’s. In today’s day and age, the search for a new home almost always starts on the internet. Dozens of houses in different neighborhoods and different price ranges are just a click away. Spending some time searching for homes on the web will give you a general idea and feel for what is available in your area and budget. By the time you talk to your estate agent, you can be armed with a fairly specific set of parameters before you even start viewing homes. So how many homes should you actually look at? A lot of that depends on you, and how much time and energy you have. While looking at prospective new homes is a very exciting experience, it can be physically and mentally exhausting too. A good agent will have listened to your wants, needs, and dreams, and they will show you a short list of homes that match your criteria, while still remaining within your budget. Here is a bit of my own my personal advice when shopping for a home; Bring a digital camera, or use the camera in your cellular phone. Agents will show you all the great features of a prospective home, but are also required to show you any defects in the property as well. Take pictures of all the things you love, as well as the things you don’t like about each home you view. Take a few notes too. It’s pretty hard to remember all the pros and cons of every home you’ve viewed, especially after viewing a number of them. Keeping a ‘score card’ along with some photos of what worked and what didn’t in each home will make the elimination process easier, and help you make your own short list. Once you have created your own short list, do another viewing of the homes that are on your short list. The second time you view a home, you’ll see it with a fresh perspective and may notice things that you didn’t the first time. It quite often comes down to a race between two homes, and I find that it is often the very first home I showed that ends up being the winner. I wish you well in your search. Purchasing a home is one of the most exciting and important things you will do in your life |