June 2010 Weddings
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Home buying, finally!
DH and I have started the home buying process, yay! We picked a realtor this week and set up appointments to see some houses this weekend, and we got pre-approved for a mortgage. I'm so excited! I can't wait until we have our own place again. We've been living with my parents since January, and while it's gone really well, it's just not the same.
My poor mom, though. She loves having us there, and yesterday was like, "Please don't move out!" She said it like she was kidding, but I know she really wouldn't mind at all if we stayed forever...
Homeowners -- any words of advice for starting to look at houses? Aaah, I can't wait!
Re: Home buying, finally!
Noted! Yeah, we're looking for something big enough that we can grow into with a family. I'm kind of nervous about that, though, because DH has a lot of crap too, and if we have the space initially, I'm sure he'll find a way to fill it! We'll just have to purge before making babies.
Make lists! Lots of them. You and YH should sit down BEFORE you go see any houses and work out what your must-have features are. Try to be as realistic as possible b/c you don't want to have to change the list- then you're going to start changing it to fit some house that's oh-so-cute but doesn't fit your lifestyle, you know? (I so did that. Luckily, that adorable but stupid house sold before I could put in an offer ::whew!::)
You're a 1st time homebuyer? Might be a good idea to wander the aisles of Home Depot/ Lowes/ etc, and really pay attention to prices. This could help you get ideas for projects and help you understand what kind of work you're willing to do, how much it'll cost (some projects are WAYYY more expensive than you'd think and I got in over my head once when I first got this place. But it worked out, so we're all good
)
Also? GOOD LUCK and HAVE FUN!! I looooooved house hunting- enjoy it!
Planned Executed
Take into account that there will be so so so many little fees- everywhere. And they add up.
Also, check for flood insurance. We recently found out the house we're closing on on the 31st needs flood insurance and the seller didn't mention anything about it! ugh.
My Planning Bio
Hippie has great advice... Make sure you know what your "Must-Haves" are and don't settle on them. My friend really wanted a fireplace but settled for a house that didn't have one. She's regretted it for years now.
Also, pay attention to the amount of work that needs to be done on the house. The price may be really good, but if the house needs lots of work or even a yard put in, those are going to add up and the price of the house isn't going to be "great" anymore.
Good luck and have fun!
Married
Taking Control:Updated 1/7
I agree about the must haves! H and I have a list of must haves for our future house. Make sure you see a bunch of houses until you find one that you love.
I know how it is with your mom. We are currently renting a house with my brother. He is planning to buy it eventually and H and I are going to buy a house of our own when he is out of school. My brother has mentioned on several occasions that he is going to be sad when we move out. We do most of the cooking and we have the guard dog!
Thanks all! We have educated ourselves as much as we can -- took a first time home buyer class, bought a book, so we are hoping to go into the process with our eyes open. We made our must-have and would-like-to-have list last night. DH is an engineer, so he's already planning some scoring method and formula to calculate which ones come out as the top scorers.
We've also extensively budgeted for all the little costs -- title insurance, origination fees, etc. But I'm sure there will still be surprises. We're looking to buy a newer house so hoping not to spend a lot in renovations, but I'm sure little things will add up (hello, paint is expensive!). And we will need to upgrade our furniture at some point. Luckily we're in a position right now where we aren't paying rent, so most of our incomes can be saved for these kinds of purchases.
Congratulations! You've gotten so much great advice already
My 2 cents:
Make sure you don't just get a house for what you're approved for without looking at the month to month cost. I was approved for much more than I could afford and maintain my current lifestyle. Make sure you know what your payment will be for the amount your spending and look more from that aspect. I shopped for houses only in the range in which I could afford the monthly payment, not for the amount I was approved for.
I would say set aside at least $500 (probably depends on the house and the area) for incidentals that will come up the first month you move in. This was NOT for projects, but for things I HAD to have to really settle into every day living (like a garden hose and a large wheeled trash can...). There's plenty you need in a house that you didn't need in an apartment, but don't realize it until you're there.
Good luck and have fun! What an exciting time!
Carter born 5/28/11
BFP 9/27/12 EDD 6/11/13, MC 9wks, no HB
When you find "the House" get an independent inspector to come in. It is worth the few hundred dollars. My parents and a good friend of mine trusted the inspector from the seller - big mistake, thousands of dollars later on one part, tens of thousands of dollars later on the other and they wish they did not cut corners. My Dad has a business on the side and puts up buildings, does concrete work and electrical work, and my brother is a plumber and they overlooked things in my parents house - so get a professional.
Good luck! How exciting!