I wrote a blog post a couple of months back all about the difficulties that my husband and I faced when were in the process of purchasing a home. We had many hurdles along the way, but we are so grateful to now be in our dream home and to finally feel settled somewhere that we absolutely adore. Purchasing a home is by far one of the most stressful and baffling things that you will ever do in your life and once your offer has been accepted, you are pretty much blind to everything that is going on behind the scenes.

I just wish that we had some guidance before we jumped into the house-buying process and that we had known a little more about the whole chain of events before jumping into it with both feet. That is what I am going to share with you today to hopefully try and help others who are in the midst of the confusing process.

 

 

Look past superficial things.

When I thought about the home that I wanted to purchase in my mind, I had a list of set criteria. In the end, I had to try to look past some of the more superficial things, as hard as that can be and really think about the real aspects that would make me want to live there and what would make it the perfect home for us. This meant that I was no longer looking at the much smaller things like the appearance of the kitchen cupboards, the quality of the carpets, etc. and I was more focused on the bigger things like looking for dampness in the room, the quality of the electrics, the age of the boiler and so much more!

 

Try not to get your hopes up.

I know that this may sound a little doom and gloom, but very rare does a house sale go through like smooth sailing and it is always best to try and not get your hopes up. I know that is much easier said than done because I personally went home after viewing our property for the first time and I made a spreadsheet of all of the changes that I wanted to make and the things that I wanted to buy, but I know that it just makes it all the more painful if the sale is to fall through and you are left with hopes and dreams, but no home!

 

Be prepared for hidden fees.

Purchasing a home is a minefield and there are many hidden fees associated with this. We all think about the deposit that we need in order to secure the house itself and get the loan from the bank. However, there is so much more to consider. To name a few: solicitors fees, money transfer fees, mortgage fees, mortgage advisor fees, conservaying fees, moving fees and so much more. I would recommend having a good few thousand pounds spare. This will tide you by until you get the keys.

 

Use a mortgage advisor.

Because we were in the house buying process for such a long time, I know a thing or two when it comes to buying a property and mortgages. However, we still opted to use a mortgage advisor. When you are buying a house, the last thing that you want to do is fork out more money. Especially to somebody who can advise you on how to get yourself into decades of debt. But, I thought that I knew everything about mortgages, but just spend the money. My advice is to spend the money, get professional advice and repeat this process every few years!

 

Ask question – Even the silly ones.

There is a hell of a lot that you need to know before you commit to purchasing a home. You will be potentially paying off a mortgage for approximately 25 years, so ask as many questions as possible. I can remember I was ringing the estate agent who was the middleman between me and the sellers. I was asking small questions about the boiler, cracks that I had seen, changes that they had made. Literally every single thing about the home, the neighbourhood, and just about everything else that you can think of. I am sure that they were sick of me in the end, but I needed to know!

 

Be prepared to wait.

Waiting around is one of the most painful things when it comes to the entire home-buying process. Every single step of the process after getting your offer accepted just seems to pass by at a snail’s pace. It can be incredibly infuriating. Just be prepared in your mind to have a fair wait on your hands. But also do not be scared to hassle those that you are waiting on. Whether it be the solicitors, estate agents, or even the sellers.

 

I don’t want to scare anybody out of the idea of purchasing your own home. Honestly do not think that anything compares to going home at the end of the day. The property is decorated to your tastes and it is your own little sanctuary. I honestly do not think that I will ever be over the feeling of being a homeowner. And I encourage so many to jump into purchasing a home rather than renting. I just want people to be prepared. Knowledge really is key when buying a home. I just hope you don’t have the niggling questions or thoughts in your mind which plagued me for so long.

Make sure to leave me a comment below. Let me know anything that you wish that you had known before purchasing your first home!