I’m Thinking of Buying A New House

So I have been doing pretty good working on my credit lately, I have a stable job and my degree is in the near future. So I have been thinking about biting the bullet and trying to find a house I can buy finally!

Buying a house can be super intimidating, especially to first-time buyers like myself. There are so many things to decide and figure out! What can I afford, is the neighborhood safe, what are the school districts like and how on earth does homeowners insurance work?! I am one of those people who researches absolutely everything; I once spent a whole day reading Amazon reviews on sippy cups!

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I highly suggest doing your research on potential mistakes you can avoid making, it will definitely make the process go a lot smoother for you. It’s good to research things like homeowners insurance, home inspections, and loan information to name a few.

The confusing part for me was how much can I afford?! I have to make three times rent to live in the apartment I currently live in, is that how buying a house works too? Well, it turns out there is a nifty little tool called a mortgage calculator! It literally does all the work for you, all you have to do is enter in the price of the house, the amount of what you are putting down for a deposit, the interest rate, and how many years you have to pay! The tool calculates your payment for you and you get a better idea of what you’re looking at financially!

It’s also important to make sure that your finances are in order before attempting to buy a home, this will save you a lot of stress down the road. It’s way easier to qualify for a loan if your credit is good and most of your debt is paid down. Then you don’t have to worry as much about other debts you owe and making extra payments on top of a new house payment.

Once you get all of the boring stuff out of the way it is time for the fun part! House hunting! There are many options for doing this as well; you can hire a realtor, use sites like Zillow, or even just take a drive around your desired neighborhoods and look around for ‘For Sale’ signs! Sites like Zillow even give you information on the schools in the district, neighborhood safety ratings, and even HOA information.

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While looking to buy a home can be intimidating, it is also important to be proud of yourself for being at the point in life to take this step. Have fun with it! Make a list of things you want in your new home, do you want a pool? A neighborhood with a good park? Maybe a large yard for a garden? This is such an exciting new adventure and be sure to make the most of it! I also feel like making a dream home collage is super fun and helps take some of the stress out of it!