This post is sponsored by Travelers Insurance; All opinions are my own.
There are a few moments in life when you actually feel like an adult. Truthfully, most of my life is spent looking around wondering if anyone can see through my 35 year old facade to the Barbie loving 12 year old underneath. One of the scariest/best moments of adulthood was when we bought our first house. It was in 2009. We found it listed as a short sale and it was in rough shape.
Thankfully we were able to look past the bad carpet and beige everything and see the potential. When we moved out 7 years later, this is what we had created. A home!
Buying a home can be downright terrifying, and for good reason. But if you’re willing to let go of all the expectations that Pinterest has created in your mind, and open your heart to a little bit of adventure, buying a new home can be downright life changing!
I’ve partnered with Travelers to share some tips for first-time home buyers, theirs are practical, mine are more pep-talky. I think you need to hear both.
Invest in an inspection.
Most banks require an inspection for financing, but even if they didn’t, I can’t stress enough what a huge deal this is. An inspector knows exactly what to look for. While we tend to see finishes and floor plans inspectors look for structural issues and damage. They are worth the investment!
If you hire a realtor, make sure they are working for you!
I understand that some people aren’t interested in hiring a real estate agent, but if you choose to go that route (which we always do) find someone that understands exactly what you’re looking for. A great agent will go to bat for you and work day and night to help you find the best house available.
Travelers has allllll the practical advice (check out their tips and video here) The practical advice is SO IMPORTANT, but really I want to give you a little pep talk and some perspective.
Almost everything can be changed.
You know those couples on House Hunters that find a great house, in their budget, on the beach, with a full time nanny and all they can see is the fact that the countertops aren’t granite? DON’T BE THAT PERSON!! Location, square footage, and structural things like layout are way more important than finishes. Finishes can be changed.
Don’t try to change everything at once.
Unless you are moving into a total gut job, changes can be made over time. Just know going into it that you’ve got work to do but that’s part of the fun of being a home owner!
Get the Home Warranty!
Usually when you buy a home, you are given the chance to get a warranty. When we bought our first house, thankfully we had one because our AC unit kicked the bucket just a few months after we closed. Had we not had the warranty we would’ve had to pay out of pocket for a new one.
Expect Surprises!
Stuff is going to come up. Just know that it’s going to happen and prepare as much as you can for it! (Especially if you are doing a renovation!!)
If You Are Doing Renovations, Determine Your Budget Beforehand!
One of the easiest things in the world to do during a renovation is to go over budget. If you are buying a house that you are planning on renovating, get your budget set beforehand. Budget overspill happens for a few reasons, one of them being a little phrase called guesstimation. Get your plans and bids before you close on the property, that way you know what you are in for! You can do things on a budget (like our $939 bathroom reno) but just know what you’re getting into!
What tips do you have for new home buyers?
What home warranty company did you go with? We’ve had a number of them (American Home Shield, First American) and it’s always seemed like an utter waste of money. They take forever to come to your house; they send the least qualified companies to do the bare minimum to keep your appliance kind of running (and the repair people admit that— saying the home warranty companies barely reimburse them for their visit); and then when something finally breaks they find a contract ‘loophole’ as to why it’s not covered. You really have good experiences with them? I’m astonished because I’ve only had terrible experiences… and have only heard bad things.
So true when it comes to appliances! The water/ice dispenser on our fridge stopped working a few months ago, and when we called our home warranty company, they said the cover the fridge, but not the water/ice dispenser! WTF.
I second the complaint about home warrantees! We had a terrible experience with ours. We had to wait weeks, they assigned us companies who we would not have been comfortable choosing on our own, and it seemed like every issue we ran into didn’t end up being covered anyway.
We once had our home warranty company send a plumber out to fix something in our bathroom. He left my house, and I thought he was just going to grab something from the truck because he didn’t say anything to me, but he just left! And he took some parts with him! He didn’t return any of my calls or emails over the course of several days, and our bathroom was no longer functioning at all because he had taken the parts! It was a total nightmare working with the warranty company, and while they did eventually agree to refund our $100 premium, we ended up paying out of pocket for another company to do the work, which also ended up costing more because they had to replace the parts.
We will never, ever have a home warranty again. It was an awful experience each of the times we used it in the first year we owned our home. Not one experience was easy or straightforward. I’m so glad that it worked for you and you were able to have your issues fixed. I so wish that would have been our experience!
Ive had s great experience with my home warranty. I use first american and they have replaced a few things and fixed others. I always check my coverage before calling and i try to understand my problem to know if it is covered. I have their premium pkg. No im not a paid advertiser either.