What Not to Do When Buying a House

Buying a home can leave shoppers buzzing with excitement and the promise of a bright future, but once this haze fades away, many realize they’ve made big mistakes.  Unfortunately, many people aren’t informed of these rules to house buying and regret the home they were so excited about purchasing.

Here are the biggest mistakes someone might make when buying a home.

Ignore the Inspector’s Report

Home inspectors are professionals who have a piece of good knowledge about carpentry, understand what red flags other people may miss, and have a keen eye for detail.  Although their work is one of the most important steps to buy a house, they are one of your few lines of defense between your wallet and a broken home: some people ignore the home inspector’s report.  It’s usually over eight pages long, detailing any flaws visible, and many don’t have the patience to read this.

This is a big mistake because it means that they could buy a home with serious issues and not realize it until it’s too late.

Buy at Asking Price

Buying a home at the asking price is the easiest way to waste money you could have spent elsewhere.  Most sellers price their homes at higher than the market value so that there’s room to go back and forth if you pitch a low offer on the house. However, you may feel like you have to seal the deal quickly and get your request at the moment that you can: don’t forget to barter.

Go For the First Home You See

Love, at first sight, is rampant in the housing market.  Many purchase their homes because it was the first they liked online and then the first they got to walk through.  Unfortunately, this can leave them blind to the property’s flaws and make them purchase the wrong property.  Take in the options available to you, and don’t be afraid to keep looking at a couple more homes after you’ve seen the one you like so that you can have a good feel for what’s out there.

Spend Far More Than Intended

The budget set for you when you’re approved for a loan shouldn’t be your spending goal.  Buyers who use every last cent of their loan, pouring all of it into a mortgage, will be staring down monthly bills that will be at the top of their budget.  Although some people can make it work, being house poor can be emotionally and financially draining and leave people feeling like they’ve made the wrong choice.

Buy a Huge Project You Aren’t Prepared For

There’s a lot of hope that goes into purchasing a home.  We want to think that this change in our life will be for the better and that we can rise to the occasion even if the house is a project: but if you’ve never flipped a home or done a home renovation, this can be an incredible amount of stress to take on. So it’s a good idea to avoid this stress by, instead, buying a home that only has a small amount of work needed.  This way, you can put your touch on the house without having to worry about neglecting and regretting it.