House Hunting
Dad and Kathy visited during the week of my birthday, and we worked the real estate scene. We spent a good Saturday looking at homes online and then driving by each one. From there we decided which ones we wanted to see. I let my REALTOR know, and he made the appointments for Monday after work. After seeing our top 4, two of them were purchase-worthy. Mrs. Kraus and I decided which one we preferred and we made an offer. After some good negotiating, we got it done by Tuesday evening, and the closing is set for the end of June.
Dad and Kathy were an awesome help during the whole search. They have a lot of experience with real estate. Here are some of the things I learned:
1. Be practical. Make a list of the things you want in a home and be sure the one you buy has the most important features. But don’t overspend. Don’t buy too much house. Staying practical might mean conceding one or two things you’d like to have, but don’t necessarily need.
2. Start looking low in the price scale and work upwards as needed. We started with the lower priced homes to see what it could get us. When we realized that a price range just wouldn’t get us what we needed, we upped the range by $10,000 increments until we found our price range.
3. Keep maintenance in mind. What about the house is already done? Have they recently redone the siding or roof? What is the condition/age of the AC unit and furnace? If these things are new or recently replaced, that’s money you won’t have to spend anytime soon. A house might seem like a great buy, but if there are 10’s of thousands of dollars in maintenance coming up in the near future, you might think again.
4. Don’t fall in love. You should never decide you can’t live without a house until it’s officially yours. In this market you can find a home you’ll love for a great deal. Your first offer might be rejected or you might lose the home to another buyer. Don’t over-pay or fall prey to a bidding war because you fell in love too soon. Be willing to move on to the next house. Chances are, your willingness to walk away might just land you the home you wanted for a lower price.
It was a great week. We learned a lot and had fun looking. A very heartfelt thanks again to my parents for their help and advice, and to my REALTOR Russ for being available when needed and for making things happen (he spent a lot of time with us this week).