Category Archives: Real Estate

Lessons Learned From My First Year Of Home Ownership

 
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house

This week marks exactly one year since I officially closed on my first house. It’s been a whirlwind of a year and while it’s been a lot of fun, there have been many hard learned lessons taught to me along the way! To commemorate my one year anniversary as a homeowner, I thought I’d write a quick little post to share some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way… Don’t bite off more than you can chew - When looking for houses it’s easy to make a list of improvements and changes that you’d like to/need to change with the house if you bought it. Well, once you buy the house you actually have to do those things, and it’s never as easy as you thought it would be during your walk though! Know your limitations as a handyman and know your true appetite for taking on improvement projects. As soon … Continue reading →

Your House IS NOT An Investment

 
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Mansion

A lot of friends I know are buying, or in the market for houses. Knowing that I bought a house at the end of last year they come to me asking all kinds of advice. One of the questions I always ask is: “Why exactly do you want to buy a house?” It’s a simple enough question, but too often the answer to it is 100% wrong. “I’m sick of wasting money renting & It’s a good investment!”  If I ever have the “Why do you want to buy a house?” conversation with you and you answer with the above phrase you’ll notice I don’t reply right away. That’s because I’m suppressing the urge to slap you in the mouth.   I know a couple, fresh out of college, working their first entry-level real world jobs and recently engaged. Both are riddled with student loan debt, and the first thing they want … Continue reading →

First Time Home Buying Tips – What I Learned

 
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Mansion

      What I learned by buying my first home. As I’ve mentioned in a few different posts, I recently purchased my first home. I’ve meant to write about the experience for some time but didn’t know where to start. So I figure I’ll start by sharing some of the things that I didn’t know before I started looking, and some of the things I think everyone should know before buying your first house. 1. The Two Most Important People You’ll Hire – It’s absolutely imperative to find a good Realtor and a home inspector you can trust. It was the first, and largest mistake I made. I was a little naïve as to all a Realtor did during the home buying process and probably didn’t hire the best one I could have.  Between finding properties to show you, negotiating the purchase price, and knowing what to include in a purchase contract. Finding a talented Realtor who … Continue reading →