The art of house hunting: How to find the house of your dreams on a budget

Having a place to lay your head at night is one of the three most basic needs of humans, others being having food to eat and clothes to wear. Other benefits come with having a house - you can happily live in with members of your family as well as entertaining your family and friends, amongst others. At some point in our lives, we will need to change the place where we live and move somewhere else.

From infancy, we stay with our parents or guardians, then we grow up to a point where we begin to live alone. At some other point, some people get married and they have to move to a bigger house. When they begin to have children, they might even want to move to an even bigger house. Getting a house is very important, hence it is not a decision that should be made in haste. In this article, you will learn how you can find the house of your dreams if you are on a budget.

1. Estimate your budget:

Most people rush into real estate to get a house without planning how much they want to spend. Most of the time, these people end up spending so much that there is little or nothing left for renovation or repairs after buying the house. When you are planning a budget, proper planning is required if you want to do it right. You need to consider your annual or monthly income first. Then, you will remove your monthly expenses from this income. From whatever is left, you can determine how much you are willing to set aside to pay for the mortgage of your house each month.

You also need to consider the future when you are budgeting. Decide if you will have more expenses in the future and if your income will increase. When you come up with a budget, make sure that you tell your real estate agent that you have a budget so you can get houses within the range of your budget.

2. Make a list of your specifications:

By all means, you will have a picture of your dream house in your mind and you already know what you want without being told. You need to write down all the things that you want from your dream house. Also, evaluate your decision and come up with other things that you will need. Some factors will determine the content of this list.

For example, the number of people that will be living in the house will determine how big the house will be and how many rooms will be in the house. Also, if you have occupants with special needs, then you might be looking for houses that have features like wheelchair access. Your personal preference will also come in handy when you are listing your requirements. You will need to decide if you want pets, a garage, a basement, and so on. For instance, you should check if there is direct sunlight in the rooms if you plan to keep houseplants, or later you might need to buy LED grow lights to substitute the sunlight.

3. Choose an area:

Where do you want your dream house to be? The environment where your house is located will play a role in your general welfare. You need to research areas that have good social amenities like hospitals, roads, restaurants, stores, markets, etc. If you have children, you will also want to check for areas with good schools that can guarantee sound education for your children.

4. Contact an agent:

You can look up the prices of houses in the areas where you have chosen. You can also check for available houses online. But sometimes, the houses you see as available online might have been taken when you decide to check them out. To know the houses available in the areas that you have chosen, to get the best deals when you are finding a house, the best thing to do is to reach out to an agent. There are online platforms that can get you whatever you want, whether its land or a house.

5. Check and decide:

After contacting a real estate agent, you can choose a date when to meet and check houses that are available with your specifications in your preferred areas within the range of your budget. While you’re checking the houses, you should look at details, however small they are. Look if there is mold on the walls or whether you need to repaint or not. You should pay attention to the space, for instance, if there is enough space for your kitchen, can you fit all the appliances you want to keep such as your extra fridge, microwave or water filter, etc. After checking all these houses, you will most likely find at least one that suits your taste. Do not hesitate to go to that house.

Conclusion

In five steps, you can see how easy it is to find your dream house without spending more than your budget. Feel free to negotiate with your agent or the homeowner so that you can spend less than your budget. Make sure that you are comfortable with the final price then you can begin to finalize the deal. Sign in the paper works and begin to move into your property as soon as you can. Ensure that you also begin to do the necessary renovations and repairs that you need to do in the house.

Courtesy of Private Property