The first house I ever owned...my Fisher Price tudor house!
There was this line I loved from a poem we had read at our wedding that talks about all the wishing and hoping came to fruition on that day. I loved it because that's what it's really like when you want to spend the rest of your life with someone; the sweetest memories are of the days that every sentenced started, "when we live together" and "when we're married."
Building a life with someone is exciting and a key part of that is making a home. We've done our best to make a home out of our apartment, but we've been daydreaming about buying a house from the first day we lived together in 2009. It's taking a lot of scrimping and saving and frankly, generosity from family, but we're finally ready to start the search. So if it seems like I don't post as often, it will be because my entire brain and soul has become consumed by making the second biggest decision of my life!
But never fear, I'm a documentarian at heart and will share as much as I can as we go through the process. And then the fun will really begin, because we'll be in the next frontier of domestication: home ownership!
Wish us luck, and if you have any advice about the process (we're truly at the beginning), share your wisdom!
I worked at a real estate agency for several years in Arkansas, so here is my advice.
ReplyDelete1) If you don't already have one, find a realtor you trust. The great thing about a realtor is they are paid nothing until a home closes, and the buyer pays very little to begin with (usually inspections, earnest money, smaller fees like that).
2)Be able to look past cosmetic things that may not appeal to you. Paint colors can be changed, wallpaper can be removed, hardware can be changed out, etc. Don't miss out on an amazing house in a desirable area because you don't like the current owners decorating choices.
3) Also, if this isn't going to be your forever home and you think you may sell it at some point, make sure it's in an area with a good school district.
Thank you! It's good to be reminded to take the school district part seriously...we keep thinking, "eh, we don't have kids" and then we remember it's so crucial for resale.
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