House hunting…boy can it be amazing and fun and exciting, but it also has the potential to become stressful. If you are planning to house hunt in the next year or so, I’m here to help! Here are 4 things to consider when house hunting. The market is crazy right now and more and more people are working towards buying a new home, so I hope that this post helps you a lot-
The location of the potential home
When you are house-hunting, make sure you consider the location of your (potential) home-to-be. After all, they say that the top three important things to consider when buying a home is location, location, and location. You can live with or change almost any imperfection in a home if you love the neighborhood and the neighbors, but the one thing that you 100% cannot change, no matter what, is your location. When you purchase your home, you are stuck there until you sell. With that being said, when you are house hunting, consider any potential home’s location and proximity to your work, how the home is situated on the lot, what is around the home (ease of access to things), the noise level from neighbors, traffic, etc. the charm of the neighborhood, and more.
Keep your finances in mind
Throughout the buying process (and before, too!), you need to make sure that you are keeping your finances in mind, because that is very, very important, and a huge part of buying and/or selling a home…or even renting out an apartment! Start by saving for the down payment, review your credit score, and know how it can affect your potential interest rates. Your FICO score will reflect if you are maxing out your credit cards and/or making late payments on your bills. Another important financial aspect of the home buying process is your debt-to-income ratio. When you get pre-approved for a home, they should help guide you throughout this process, but it’s best if you do a little research and prep on your own, before the pre-approval process, if you do have time.
Make a list of the things you want or need
Next up: make a list of the things that you want and/or need. Also, make a list of the things that you definitely do not want. This can help you narrow down the homes that are a fit, and are not a fit, which will save you time. If you are working with a professional real estate agent (which I highly recommend), this can help them, too, and will save you and them a lot of time and effort. Trust me – you don’t want to be viewing home after home after home, that doesn’t meet your needs. Making a list of things you want, a separate list for things you definitely need (ie. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a pool), and a list of things you do not want (ie.
2 bedrooms instead of 4, no space for an office, or a pool). One thing to keep in mind is closet space, if that is important to you. Older homes tend to have little closets and not a lot of storage space. If you have lots of sports equipment, craft supplies, out-of-season clothes, and holiday decorations, be sure you know where all this will go in your new home. Newer homes tend to have big closets and lots of storage. You can always add storage space, but you might have to sacrifice living space in your rooms.
Things might not go as planned
Last but not least, one thing to keep in mind is that things might not go as planned. We are in a competitive market and that requires a bit of flexibility on everyones end. If things fall through or do not work out, that’s okay – I promise that something better will come your way! If you want a stress-free experience, your best bet is to work with a real estate agent that knows what they are doing, such as Compass Real Estate, Erin E King MBA, REALTOR(R)️. If you are looking for Avondale FL homes for sale, as an example, Erin King has your back and can help make the process a bit less stressful. He lives in the area, so knows it like the back of his hand, and he is committed to mastering the process of buying and/or selling real estate.
La Niña Bonita 