Buying a home in today’s market is, for lack of a better term, no joke. Yes, I can hear your tears roll down your face as you browse home sites. (Haha!)
As a fairly new homeowner, in today’s market, I have some tips on how to make what can be a stressful time a little less stressful:
1. Window Shop
I often told my husband that just because we are looking doesn’t mean we are buying. From my personal experience, it helped me to a lot of homes. Whether they were resale open houses or model homes from local builders, this helped with the sticker shock. While browsing or window shopping it was good to see what options were out there and give us a realistic view of what we could afford.
2. Find a GOOD Realtor
I may be biased but we had one of the best realtors. We thankfully met through none other than El Paso Mom. We knew each other from church circles but finally met by both being contributors to our beloved mom site. Finding someone you can trust is key. Make sure you are confident in your decision of who is helping you find your home. I mean, it is one of the biggest purchases of your life.
» » » RECOMMENDED READ: Tips from a Realtor for Becoming a Homebuyer in 2024« « «
3. Be Realistic When Buying a Home
If I’m honest, my dream was and is to have land and animals and a garden, you know, the millennial dream. But realistically, for this season of life, being close to our kids’ school and our parents is what we need for now. Our current home was a previous rental and needed some TLC. We purchased it knowing there was potential. Fortunately, there weren’t any major projects to be done, mainly painting and replacing light fixtures and touch-ups here and there. But, knowing that there was a home in our budget that needed a little bit of love didn’t scare us. We confidently purchased knowing we could make it our own.
Wherever you are on your home journey. I hope at the end of the day, that house becomes a home!
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of El Paso Mom, its executive team, other contributors to the site, its sponsors or partners, or any organizations the aforementioned might be affiliated with.
