Tips for Weekend House Hunting
Buying a home is a HUGE undertaking. It can be emotional and time-consuming, exciting and scary, all at the same time. And since buying a home affects everything from your commute to your child’s education — even the nitty gritty of budgeting your income vs. expenses — it’s important to recognize when your emotions might be taking over your house hunt!
Consider That All-Important Budget
Before you begin your hunt, put a pencil to your house budget to find out just how much house you can afford. Because once you find the perfect house and start imagining your furniture in it, it’s hard to do a 180 and start over. You can’t help but dream about how great your life will be in THAT perfect house, with its amazing chef’s kitchen, energy-efficient appliances, the inviting patio and access to amenities you now can’t live without!
But, if you find out after your heart is set that you can’t or won’t be able to afford the house, you’re in for a painful let-down. To avoid the heartbreak, start your search at the low end of your price range. You could find exactly what you’re looking for, be just as content, and won’t need to break-the-bank to get what you want.
Pay Attention to Possible Flaws
If you’re anxious to stop paying rent and invest those dollars in real estate, you might be tempted to ignore major problems in a used home’s structure, location or quality. You don’t want to end up in a house and have to “make the best of it.” Especially if changes are too difficult, costly or unbearable to weather.
Consider the consequences of possible flaws before committing to buy and check out potential other options. Can you wait until something better is available, or a brand-new home can be built? Renovations are expensive, time-consuming and stressful. If you don’t have a deadline,, zero in on what you need and how soon you need it and consider a new-build. The likelihood of flaws is significantly reduced, and the satisfaction factor greatly increased!
Dream Home or Money Pit?
We like watching HGTV’s Flip or Flop and Good Bones as much as the next person, but renovating a home takes a whole lot more than the 30 minutes a station devotes to whole-house makeovers. It is not just risky financially (do you know how much a remodel will cost, factoring in unexpected expenses?) the stress involved in bringing an old home into 2020 might be more than you bargained for. No pun intended.
A dated property in need of a facelift might be too much to handle in terms cost and ability. Home Advisor reports that a typical remodel of multiple rooms can cost up to $150,000. Honestly evaluate your abilities, your budget and timeline before purchasing a property that isn’t move-in ready as well as your threshold of tolerance for stress and chaos!
Ask A LOT of Questions
Surprise! You’ve just moved into your new home and learn that while it’s quiet inside, the nearby highway noise is super annoying when you’re out on the patio! You may not be able to anticipate everything when shopping for a new home, but you should visit during different days of the week and times of the day and ask as many questions as possible about future plans for the community. Talk to prospective neighbors and city officials about zoning and drive around to get a feel for your surroundings.
Or you could just drive over to the master-planned community of Crystal Valley and ask a sales associate! They’ll tell you everything you need to know about future development and some of the amazing amenities residents enjoy. The bottom line is, the more questions you ask, the fewer the surprises you’ll encounter!
Don’t Get Into a Bidding War
Today’s real estate market is tight with a lot of competition for existing homes. When you really want a house, it’s easy to get sucked into a bidding war – or trying to “win” the house by offering to pay more than the home is worth. There are lots of reasons to avoid that – and most can be defined as financial regret!
If you’re house hunting and have not yet considered new construction, evaluate the benefits and possibilities. Even if you have a deadline there are plenty of move-in ready homes in Crystal Valley that might be the perfect fit and you may find, like many home buyers, that “buying new” is a wise and gratifying decision!
Buying New at Crystal Valley
You won’t get into a bidding war with new construction options from a reputable builder and we have four of the best in the master-planned community of Crystal Valley! House-hunting for a brand new home in Crystal Valley offers desirable amenities, plus nearby shopping, entertainment and dining options. Explore all the beautiful models and move-in ready homes from Richmond American Homes, Kauffman Homes, Century Communities and D.R. Horton – ranch and two-story designs, priced from the $300s.
