Home Buying 101: What You Need to Know About Your First Home

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Buying your first home can be a long and tiring process. But if owning your own place has been your lifelong dream, then it’s about time you made it a reality.

Whether you’re looking at houses in Bakersfield CA for sale or haven’t decided on an area of the US to live in yet, this first-time buyer’s guide to house hunting will help you to feel more confident. 

Manage Your Expectations

Your first home probably won’t have all the features you’re looking for and that’s OK. It’s important to realize that sometimes the purpose of a first home is not only to provide you with a comfortable place to live but also to turn you into a homeowner.

This means that while your preferences do matter, your first home is going to require a little bit of compromising. Don’t forget, in a few years, you may be able to move on to bigger and better places if that’s what you want. Talk to your real estate agent and work out what you can expect to get with your very first home.

Organize Your Finances

A lack of organization in your finances is going to be a huge barrier to buying your first home. Even if you’ve saved up a reasonable deposit, there are many other costs associated with purchasing your first place.

From real estate agent fees to legal payments and moving costs, you need to have a lot of cash set aside. It’s also a good idea to have a pot of money for any renovations you may need to make. Whether that’s installing a new boiler, repainting the walls, or landscaping the garden, it pays to be well-prepared.

Find a Good Real Estate Agent

Not all real estate agents are as good as they seem on paper, so it’s important to spend some time finding a professional who has your best interests at heart. Lots of agents will have different styles of working and all of them come with a unique personality.

You’d be surprised by how much difference an agent’s personality can make to your house hunting journey, so don’t be too quick to sign on with an agent who has very different values from yours.

Give It Time

Finding your first home can take longer than you expect, but it’s important not to rush into your decision. If you can’t see a home that you’d be happy spending the next few years in, keep looking.

Sometimes you just need to wait for new properties to be listed to find your perfect match. Make sure your agent understands your position so they can keep an eye on all the new listings for you. Set up e-mail alerts and always be on the lookout for incredible deals that are too good to pass on.