The last time we spoke on here, we covered all the basis of the work it takes to get pre-approved for a mortgage. Today we’re discussing what to look out for when shopping for your house. Now I’m not trying to pick your house for you, I got my house already and I’m currently waiting for my OnlyFans application to be approved so I can afford to cut this interest in half. Just consider these as general guidelines to aid you in picking a house that will not cause your edges to recede all the way back to Jerusalem.
You can change the house but never the location
Regardless of your tax bracket, budget, or creative vision, what you will never be able to change about any house, is the location the house is found in. By location I mean the town/city, the neighborhood, or the street. This is helpful to consider for few reasons:
The city or town in general matters in terms of property taxes as some tend to be higher or lower than others. These are questions you can ask your realtor or simply do a google search to figure out the different costs in the towns/cities you are considering buying a house in. Regardless of how you find this information, just remember that this price will be due every time you pay for your mortgage if you are using an escrow account or the full amount semiannually if you got it like that. For instance, if the town in question is $10k per year in property taxes, you will be paying $833 per month in addition to your mortgage or the whole $10k once a year. Keep this in mind to inform your decision because the amount can easily pile up and next thing you know, you’re recording your shower routine for content but I digress.
The neighborhood itself matters because ultimately safety and peace of mind is going to come up. If there are crackheads down the street, it doesn’t matter how pretty or expensive the kitchen island is, crack is always gonna be cheap (in the words of our good sis Whitney Houston). If perhaps you plan on raising your kids in this house, it matters what the neighborhood is like and what schools are like in said neighborhood. The last thing you want is for Timmy to not know his ABC’s or struggle to tell his meows from his moos all because you liked the shower handle in that one house. The goal is to respect yourself as you tour different homes because the shower handle can easily be changed while the schools cannot. While shopping for ours, there was a house in a neighborhood that was giving very much “Get Out” and I chose to get my black behind out of here before I'm turned into the neighborhood negro. It may sound ridiculous or far fetched but it was important for us to feel comfortable in our skin every time we came home or decided to go for a walk. If you do not have an appreciation for diverse cultures, then perhaps it will be best to keep shopping instead of calling the police on your neighbors for simply existing sister Becky.
The street matters for your general safety and peace of mind. Suppose you like to enjoy a glass of wine with some calmness after pretending you care about your job all day long, only to be interrupted by the noise of passing cars because you live on a busy road. That will keep you on edge and upset you and your homegirls and nobody wants that. Sleeping in without too much noise will matter to you; your kids (if you have or want any) being able to ride their bikes safely will matter to you; pulling out of your driveway without fear of going on to glory will matter to you. It will be tempting to compromise especially if you fall in love with the house but do not give in because it matters and if it doesn’t in the moment, it will in the long run.
The foundation has to be foundational
It is true what they say about things not being made like they used to. This is the case for furniture, fashion, cabinets as it is for houses. A lot of people are committed to selling you vibes and it's crucial to do your due diligence to check for the actual bone of the house. I’m talking about the foundation, roof, electrical wiring, plumbing, leaks, cracks in the home etc. There are so many homes we toured that were patched up and felt as though with a little bit of wind, the entire infrastructure would crumble. You do not want to commit or invest in a house that’s being held by the grace of God because while it’s sufficient, we know to not take advantage.
Buying a house is expensive enough and the last thing you want is to dump money fixing foundational things you overlooked because you liked the walk-in closets. I highly recommend that you hire an inspector that is NOT recommended by your realtor and be present for the inspection as well. The hope is to work with a realtor who has your best interest at heart but the reality is that they want to make a sale sooner rather than later. To protect yourself and your future, you want someone who doesn’t have any loyalty towards your realtor and will be as thorough as possible.
The house will not be exactly what you wanted
In my naivety, I made a list of what I wanted my dream house to look like and I was at first very inflexible. If the kitchen didn’t look like what I wanted, it was an immediate no but the way this house market is set up, I was humbled very quickly. The houses that I fell in love with, others also fell in love with them and the competition was ridiculous. People were sending offers that were $50K more than the listed price with their whole chest and I had to remember to use the brain attached to my head. It became clear that we had to take a house that had everything aforementioned and then spend the time and money we would spend competing with others; to actually renovate a house no one was arguing for. The house we ended up buying was one I didn’t want because it didn’t look like what I imagined my home would look like. We are two months into this house and I have made changes that continue to make this house into a home of my dreams. If that’s where you are, take a breather and remember that with time, money, and creativity, you can turn any house into what you want it to be.
This process was fun, exciting but it was also scary and emotionally draining. Falling in love with a house you want and having to not move forward for the various reasons I mentioned here was daunting. If that’s where you are, I’m sending you virtual hugs and encouragement. Take your time, do not rush your decision, and it will all be worth it in the end.
Yours Truly,
Benny The Homeowner
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