We bought our first home back in April and the process itself was not too stressful. We started looking at homes last November and got serious about it after the first of the year. We were under contract with one house before we purchased this one, but the first one had severe foundation issues, so we ended our contract. When we went under contract with the house we now own it was really fast. The house went on the market at 4 PM, we saw it at 6 PM, and put an offer in that night at 8 PM. It was crazy but that’s how fast things are going in Dallas. A lot of new major company headquarters are moving into Dallas or have moved into Dallas in the last year, so the housing market is a little nutty.
There are things I knew would happen when we started the process and things that surprised me. If you are thinking of buying a home somewhat soon or are going through the process yourself some of these may resonate with you. There are five things I wish I knew before buying a house though and today I am talking about them.
1. Money. Not the money to buy a house, but how expense it can be the first few months you own a house. From setting up your alarm, to figuring out sprinkler systems and increased water bills (there was a major issue with this in our city), wanting to buy all the things, and wanting to paint all the rooms it can add up fast. Our house was painted some truly atrocious colors when we bought it and we wanted to paint it all! Once we had two rooms painted we found out how expensive that would be and realized that painting it ourselves was probably the better way to go. We decided to do the entire downstairs before we moved in because that’s where we were spending most of our time. Then we would gradually do the upstairs as we could. We also wanted all new kitchen appliances, but those were more of a want than a need so they had to wait. What we did that helped a lot was make a list of wants and needs for the house and what they would cost. That way we could budget a few of them a month so that it wasn’t such a drain financially.
2. Help is OK. This is more toward Andrew because Andrew wants to do everything himself. Mind you he is beyond handy and can pretty much do anything, but like I said above with painting he thought he could do the entire house before we moved in and soon found that painting over bright red walls and ugly brown walls were going to be a lot harder than he thought, so we decided to hire painters to help.
3. Know your stuff. Going into working with realtors and mortgage companies can be overwhelming, but if you do your research and know your stuff beforehand you will feel a lot more confident. Plus, knowing that you can find out so much information online can be helpful. To deliver a next-generation banking experience for home buyers, Capital One has launched a completely reimagined, personal, and digital home loans experience. Available in select markets, this new home loan experience allows customers to pre-qualify for a home loan in minutes from any device, apply online, upload documents and digitally track progress from application to closing. It also includes personalized service from a dedicated loan officer when a customer needs it. The new Capital One digital home loan experience is empowering potential homebuyers to take charge, while providing them the transparency they want and need every step of the way. You can check out the awesome Capital One Home Loans Mortgage Loan Calculator here. Having these tools from Capital One Home Loans is hugely helpful to potential homebuyers!
4. Nothing wrong with taking your time. I loved the first house we looked at in November of 2014. It was remodeled and upgraded, and in the neighborhood I saw us living in. The only issue was it was the top of our budget and the schools in the neighborhood were terrible. One thing we wanted were good public schools to send our future kids to. I wanted to jump into this house and thankfully Andrew talked me out of making what would have been a huge mistake. Taking your time and not rushing into the first house you see is important. I thought Andrew was being too picky, but really I was being ridiculous.
5. Ask for advice: People who have been through the process are your biggest help. Asking our parents for their opinions was great because we had never been through the process and we knew nothing. Having them give us pointers, tips, and opinions on the houses we liked was really helpful because they were our biggest supporters and biggest critics.
We are so beyond happy in our house, and even though there were times during the home buying and moving in process I wondered “have we made a huge mistake?” I am so glad we are here and settled. I could not imagine living anywhere else.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
I love that you posted this! My husband and I are currently browsing for our first home and home to buy within the next year or year and a half! Awesome tips!
Great tips! My husband and I ended up rushing a bit and biting off more than we should have (financially we’re ok, but this house just isn’t what we need right now) so we’re selling after being here a couple years and trying it again!
Great tips! Particularly about knowing when to accept help. We bought our first house (my second – his first) in June & without his parents to help us, we would have never made it. The money stuff is huge too. I was shocked at some of the expenses.
Your time-line seems FREAKY in line with ours! Like when you started looking to finally buying. We also saw our house only hours after it got listed and offered immediately. Sooo grateful to call it ours now! And yes, those unseen expenses could have been the death of us, but thankfully our downpayment was next to nothing because of first time home-buyer benefits 🙂 Still, it takes so much time to make a house a home… which is something I greatly miscalculated. Our downstairs has seen NO work and I hate spending time in there! It needs a kitchen renovation, paint, walls removed, and appliances moved (and new appliances bought). It’s so fun though and I’m especially glad my husband is a handy-man (like yours!) – that seriously makes life so much easier!! Spot on tips!
All excellent tips! I thought we were never to get through buying our first house and swore we would never move ! Hahaha You are so right that it is all about being prepared and asking for help – and finding a great inspector!
Great advice! While I haven’t bought a house, I did buy an RV last year and a lot of this transfers over…now I’m trying to sell it and watching my money get wasted! 🙁
Great advice. It’s so important to get the help of someone that knows what they are doing. My husband is a realtor, so he sees people try to do it by themselves all the time, then come to him after they are frustrated and at the end of their rope.
These are all great tips! We almost bought a house this past summer but reason #1 was why we decided to hold off. Like, we had enough money for our down payment, inspections, etc. but there wouldn’t have been much left over after that. I fear all of the expenses AFTER the house is bought! Houses are going so fast here too! We would be interested in one and not even get an appointment set up to go look at it before it sold.
Thanks for the tips. One of my desire is to buy a small home because of its practicality and low maintenance cost. but later on i realized that as my family grows, its becoming practical anymore, it not even healthy to live in a very small home with 3 kids. That’s why we are saving to buy full sized home.
I’m super excited to get into a new house in the next 3-6 mos. I won’t be dealing with loans or financing but any othe tips you have are helpful. … I’m so anxious to get in so taking my time and getting outside advice and help from a good realtor is IDEAL!
I love that you posted this! My husband and I are currently browsing for our first home and home to buy within the next year or year and a half! Awesome tips!
Its so pretty and I need to come see it. I need to see you period. Things will be a tad slower after the first of the year so you.me.evie. date!
Your home is so cute! What great tips!
Great tips! My husband and I ended up rushing a bit and biting off more than we should have (financially we’re ok, but this house just isn’t what we need right now) so we’re selling after being here a couple years and trying it again!
These are such awesome tips! I never took into account all the unseen expenses that might crop up /after/ buying the house.
Great tips! Particularly about knowing when to accept help. We bought our first house (my second – his first) in June & without his parents to help us, we would have never made it. The money stuff is huge too. I was shocked at some of the expenses.
Your time-line seems FREAKY in line with ours! Like when you started looking to finally buying. We also saw our house only hours after it got listed and offered immediately. Sooo grateful to call it ours now! And yes, those unseen expenses could have been the death of us, but thankfully our downpayment was next to nothing because of first time home-buyer benefits 🙂 Still, it takes so much time to make a house a home… which is something I greatly miscalculated. Our downstairs has seen NO work and I hate spending time in there! It needs a kitchen renovation, paint, walls removed, and appliances moved (and new appliances bought). It’s so fun though and I’m especially glad my husband is a handy-man (like yours!) – that seriously makes life so much easier!! Spot on tips!
These are all great tips!
We are looking to buy our first home in the next few years and these tips will definitely be coming in handy then.’
xoxo, Jenny
this is a great list for new home buyers! So many costs that you wouldn’t think of rear their ugly heads!
All excellent tips! I thought we were never to get through buying our first house and swore we would never move ! Hahaha You are so right that it is all about being prepared and asking for help – and finding a great inspector!
Great advice! While I haven’t bought a house, I did buy an RV last year and a lot of this transfers over…now I’m trying to sell it and watching my money get wasted! 🙁
Great advice. It’s so important to get the help of someone that knows what they are doing. My husband is a realtor, so he sees people try to do it by themselves all the time, then come to him after they are frustrated and at the end of their rope.
These are all great tips! We almost bought a house this past summer but reason #1 was why we decided to hold off. Like, we had enough money for our down payment, inspections, etc. but there wouldn’t have been much left over after that. I fear all of the expenses AFTER the house is bought! Houses are going so fast here too! We would be interested in one and not even get an appointment set up to go look at it before it sold.
Great tips!
I really love renting… I know that is weird. BUT if we do end up buying at some point, I am glad to have these 5 tips!
Thanks for the tips. One of my desire is to buy a small home because of its practicality and low maintenance cost. but later on i realized that as my family grows, its becoming practical anymore, it not even healthy to live in a very small home with 3 kids. That’s why we are saving to buy full sized home.
I’m super excited to get into a new house in the next 3-6 mos. I won’t be dealing with loans or financing but any othe tips you have are helpful. … I’m so anxious to get in so taking my time and getting outside advice and help from a good realtor is IDEAL!