Being a first time home buyer in Georgia is a very exciting time in your life. Once you’ve met with a mortgage broker in Atlanta and you have the funding ready, you finally get to embark on the most fun part of this process — searching for your dream home. As you look for the perfect home, you will likely end up checking out multiple homes online and walking through dozens of homes in person. As you go through that process, keep the following ideas in mind.
The Right Location
Before you start narrowing in on the features you want in a house, you should begin with thinking about where you want to live. Living in the heart of Atlanta is always an exciting adventure. But maybe you’re ready to slow down a bit and move to a suburb like Kennesaw, Alpharetta, or Johns Creek. Once you choose a location, you can start the search for the perfect house.
Your Favorite Features
As a first time home buyer in Georgia, there are a lot of things to consider when choosing your new home. Spend some time thinking about what you like about your current place and draft a wish list of features you want in your new home. That can help to ensure you don’t overlook anything. Also, think about why you’re moving, and consider talking with your real estate agent about your reasons. Whether you’re downsizing, moving closer to work, or looking for a bigger home for your growing family, your agent can help you refine your list of features based on why you’re moving. They may also suggest things you didn’t think of like sticking to single story homes if you plan to grow old in your new place.
The Need for Compromise
Being a first time home buyer is an emotional task and it’s important to remember there is no perfect house. Ideally, you should look at the positives and negatives of every house you find, and you should weigh the importance of those elements against your dream house. You may want to make a list and sort elements you don’t like into two categories: fatal flaws and temporary nuisances.
For instance, if a home only has one bedroom and no space that you could turn into another bedroom, that may be a fatal flaw. In contrast, not liking the kitchen countertops is a temporary nuisance. To give you another example, you may not be willing to compromise on big issues such as the neighborhood, view, or lot size, but you may be easily able to fix ugly wallpaper, worn carpets, and old appliances. Again, your mortgage broker in Atlanta may be able to help you make these determinations if you’re struggling.
These are just some of the elements you should keep in mind as a first time home buyer in Georgia. To learn more, contact us directly. At BrightPath, we can help you get the funding you need to get into your new home.