As I was saying, watching shows where people look for homes and then "hating" on them is one of our favorite pass times. CLEARLY it is just jealously but still, the cohab and I are really convinced we are smarter than the average buyer, even though we have no experience with real estate and have never owned a home. STILL! These dumb dumbs that go house shopping...yikes. I thought I'd compile a list of the top mistakes I think these people make when they're "house hunting" and that I would (of course) have the logical mind to never do (ha, I know I'll be laughing at this post later in life).
1. Shopping out of their price range (and inevitably falling in love with their "dream home" that they don't need) and then selling their souls to get that home.
2. Being turned off by carpet, paint, clutter, decorations. DUH! This is the #1 rule of house hunting! Don't let minor cosmetic changes mask what might really be there! Add the cost of the improvements onto the price tag. I would expect with a first home that you may have a little work ahead of you (not a lot, but some, imo).
3. Thinking they need their first home to be their dream home. Granted, I want my starter home to be one that I love, but I don't expect it to be my dream home right out the gate.
4. Compromising on pretty much everything to get MORE SPACE. What. Is. Up. With. That. I mean, we live in about 8-900 glorious square feet, and I want a walk-in closet more than anyone. BUT - why do people always sacrifice everything they want once they get a taste of a giant bathroom?
5. Compromising on the location. Same thing. It seems like a mistake to move further away from public transportation just to "get more for your money". I see how that seems logical, getting more square feet per dollar, but your property is instantly less desirable if it's in the boonies! (maybe that's just me though).
I admit that when the day comes that we are ready to house hunt, we'll have a budget and that budget is going to dictate most of our decisions, and I'm sure compromising on this and that to not live in a run-down shack is going to make total sense. But more often than not we're just yelling at the TV watching people get all excited over GRANITE and turned off by a 70's light fixture. Drives me crazy!
What mistakes have YOU made, or do you think other people make when they buy?
16 comments:
Oh. My. God. I feel you on the pain of watching the people on TV! I can't do it anymore... especially when I see people talking about their $150k budget, and how they need to have 4 bedrooms near the city for that price, and THEN THEY FIND IT. Kills me. My number one mistake that I made was counting my chickens before they hatched- I mistakenly thought that our short sale was close to closed... and then we didn't move in for three more months. Also, that whole get the keys when you sign the papers? No way. Doesn't happen.
Oh yeah - that's the other game we play, which is "guess what city they're looking in" and if their budget is nil, and they want 4 bdrms, it's always in like, DETROIT or TEXAS. That sucks that you had to wait so long. I'm glad you're in your house now!!! :)
#5 is the one that really gets me around here!
I know that if i move to freaking kenmore, or Kent that i can get twice the house (and yard) for the same money but then i have to buy another car because you can't get anywhere out there without a car. You will end up spending twice the moeny in the long run just on gas, and spend 1/2 your day commuting....
WORD!
Yes, but along with the extra house you also don't have to live 4 feet from your neighbors and you can pee in your yard.
Ahhhh, yes, peeing in the yard, a country luxury!
Pee in the yard? That's what fences are for! I'll take living 4 feet from my neighbors if it means a 10 minute commute in the morning, fo sho. My gas bill is more than cut in half now that we live close to my work.
Nope. I will take a 30-40 minute commute in trade for a couple acres and fewer people.
Scarlett O'Hara would agree! Also: CW, Marysville/Snoho is calling your name!
Covington/Black Diamond might be yelling louder. ;)
I peed in my yard last week....it was rad
You could pee off your deck...on to your other deck.
I give Casey 4 years before he owns his own cow.
I can't even begin to say how hilarious the previous comment/conversation has been!
When we were looking, we tried really hard to keep all of those 'things' in mind. What I hated most was that our realtor kept pointing out all of the cosmetic work a house needed - as though she was trying to talk us out of updating ourselves to get us to a bigger price tag.
I think one of the biggest mistakes a person can make is to not have a good relationship with your realtor. That is the first step to shopping around - find someone who listens!
And I totally think that CW is going to have a farm within 5 years!
I really like living downtown and having someone else pay my rent. If I had to actually pay for housing, It's a toss up. I don't need a huge house, but a couple of acres would be delightful. I currently love the convenience of being downtown and walking distance to stuff, but in the long term, I want a nice, relaxing place in the country. Somewhere some future kids can play without getting shot or run over. I guess it depends on where you're at in life....
Wise words I once heard: "Live where you want to, work where you have to" :)
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