Recently, I bought my first home (yay!) and it is quite the fixer upper!
First, let me explain the whirlwind adventure that searching for a house (which is probably not as whirlwind as it sounds) has been.
It started several months ago when I was browsing Pinterest and saw all of these cute (what I consider cute) home improvement ideas that other women were doing to their homes. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I didn't want to continue renting an apartment for the rest of my life. I wanted to buy my own house to do cute home improvements to!
So I started doing some research and looked into the programs that were available. I asked a couple of friends what they had done and even consulted my dad to see what he would say (actually I announced that I was buying a house and then he gave me advice).
I initially thought that I wouldn't buy until this summer. The contract on my apartment isn't up until the end of July, so I figured I would start looking in April-May and move just in time to let my contract lapse. Well, I was sooooo wrong about that!
1. Getting Pre-Approved!
Before I even began to browse websites for my dream home, I browsed for places to get pre-approved. This, I felt, was the most important thing for me. I don't want to get my sights set on a house I didn't have the income to pay for. I did a couple of the on-line forms that give you an idea of what you can afford and looked at several different websites. Finally, I settled on Wells Fargo. I'd filled out an online pre-approval form and was called several days later by my loan officer (Nick) who said he had reviewed what I had submitted and was hoping to work with me. Not only was he incredibly welcoming but we both have the same Alma Mater so OF COURSE I had to go with them!
Working with Nick has been a great experience. He found several different loan options which would fit my budget at where I was comfortable paying each month. He advised me on how much I could feasibly afford and let me know what houses I should look for in that range. He even found a loan program that would pay my down payment for me (if I live in the house for 3 years then the loan is forgiven) since I'm a first time home buyer. All awesome things in my book!
2. Find a Realtor!
Again, I think I lucked out because a friend of mine is married to a realtor, Susan, who works for Coldwell Banker. I ambushed (sorry!) her one night during a get-together and mentioned that I was in the process of being pre-approved and was interested in any advice she could give me. Well, not only was she incredibly helpful in explaining a lot of the home buying process but the next day I received an e-mail from her with a personalized list of houses to comb through to get a clearer idea of what I was looking for.
Susan has been amazing during the entire process and she's answered every single one of my questions down the the tiniest, most annoying-ist one (or at least I think some are probably annoying).
3. Find a House!
One thing I had to make sure during the house hunting process was that I was being realistic about what I could and could not afford. Did I want granite counter tops running throughout the kitchen? Yes. Did I want new hardwood floors? Of course! Did I want fresh paint, new carpet, updated bathroom, kitchen, laundry room etc? Who wouldn't? Could I afford those things? No!
Well, some of them I could afford, but others I already knew were going to be way more than my budget allowed for. However, I'm quite handy with a drill (thanks to my best friend Brittany and a little slide project we did one summer) and have no problem becoming a do-it-herself-er. So realistically, I needed a house with good square footage and decent enough floors that I didn't have to re-do them immediately
My checklist included:
My dream house happened to be the last one we saw for the day. After hours of trudging through one structure-ruined house after another (and also meeting a nice dead squirrel in one) we arrived at my house!
I initially thought that I wouldn't buy until this summer. The contract on my apartment isn't up until the end of July, so I figured I would start looking in April-May and move just in time to let my contract lapse. Well, I was sooooo wrong about that!
1. Getting Pre-Approved!
Before I even began to browse websites for my dream home, I browsed for places to get pre-approved. This, I felt, was the most important thing for me. I don't want to get my sights set on a house I didn't have the income to pay for. I did a couple of the on-line forms that give you an idea of what you can afford and looked at several different websites. Finally, I settled on Wells Fargo. I'd filled out an online pre-approval form and was called several days later by my loan officer (Nick) who said he had reviewed what I had submitted and was hoping to work with me. Not only was he incredibly welcoming but we both have the same Alma Mater so OF COURSE I had to go with them!
Working with Nick has been a great experience. He found several different loan options which would fit my budget at where I was comfortable paying each month. He advised me on how much I could feasibly afford and let me know what houses I should look for in that range. He even found a loan program that would pay my down payment for me (if I live in the house for 3 years then the loan is forgiven) since I'm a first time home buyer. All awesome things in my book!
2. Find a Realtor!
Again, I think I lucked out because a friend of mine is married to a realtor, Susan, who works for Coldwell Banker. I ambushed (sorry!) her one night during a get-together and mentioned that I was in the process of being pre-approved and was interested in any advice she could give me. Well, not only was she incredibly helpful in explaining a lot of the home buying process but the next day I received an e-mail from her with a personalized list of houses to comb through to get a clearer idea of what I was looking for.
Susan has been amazing during the entire process and she's answered every single one of my questions down the the tiniest, most annoying-ist one (or at least I think some are probably annoying).
3. Find a House!
One thing I had to make sure during the house hunting process was that I was being realistic about what I could and could not afford. Did I want granite counter tops running throughout the kitchen? Yes. Did I want new hardwood floors? Of course! Did I want fresh paint, new carpet, updated bathroom, kitchen, laundry room etc? Who wouldn't? Could I afford those things? No!
Well, some of them I could afford, but others I already knew were going to be way more than my budget allowed for. However, I'm quite handy with a drill (thanks to my best friend Brittany and a little slide project we did one summer) and have no problem becoming a do-it-herself-er. So realistically, I needed a house with good square footage and decent enough floors that I didn't have to re-do them immediately
My checklist included:
- 3 bedrooms
- 2 baths
- decent flooring
- fenced backyard
- attached garage
- safe neighborhood
- move-in-ready-ish
My dream house happened to be the last one we saw for the day. After hours of trudging through one structure-ruined house after another (and also meeting a nice dead squirrel in one) we arrived at my house!
- 3 bedrooms? Check!
- 2 baths? Check!
- decent flooring? Check!
- fenced backyard? Check!
- attached garage? Check!
- safe neighborhood? Check!
- move-in-ready-ish? Check!
I love, love, LOVE, it! I even brought half of my family back the next day just to make sure I loved it!
And yes, I got everything I wanted on my checklist!
4. Make an offer!
Making an offer on my house was one of the most exciting and terrifying things of my adulthood. Not only is owning a huge responsibility but the fear that I wouldn't be accepted and my house would go to some other person (even though that was never going to happen) stuck to me until I'd heard from the sellers. The sellers, by the way, took forever to sign the contract! This is where, yet again, Susan was amazing! At the end of the week (yes, it took them a week) I was under contract!
So, now we're doing inspections, I've got a couple taking over my apartment lease (Craigslist posting), I've signed a bazillion disclosures forms with Wells Fargo, and, as of now, closing is March 14! I've saved more money in the last several months than I have my entire life (wait, you mean I have to buy a fridge? They don't just appear automatically with the granite countertops and hardwood floors?) and I couldn't be happier to plant a garden in my OWN backyard this spring!
And yes, I got everything I wanted on my checklist!
4. Make an offer!
Making an offer on my house was one of the most exciting and terrifying things of my adulthood. Not only is owning a huge responsibility but the fear that I wouldn't be accepted and my house would go to some other person (even though that was never going to happen) stuck to me until I'd heard from the sellers. The sellers, by the way, took forever to sign the contract! This is where, yet again, Susan was amazing! At the end of the week (yes, it took them a week) I was under contract!
So, now we're doing inspections, I've got a couple taking over my apartment lease (Craigslist posting), I've signed a bazillion disclosures forms with Wells Fargo, and, as of now, closing is March 14! I've saved more money in the last several months than I have my entire life (wait, you mean I have to buy a fridge? They don't just appear automatically with the granite countertops and hardwood floors?) and I couldn't be happier to plant a garden in my OWN backyard this spring!
Adorbs & congrats.
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