Your Dream Home Is In your Dreams

Most buyers have a tendency to expect to find the house of their dreams, regrdless of the budget they are working with. Sure, the larger the means, the most likely you are to land the ideal home but for most, this approach tends to lead to much dissappointment for the buyers as well as the real estate agent scouring the housing market for that perfect home.
So what can you do to avoid this heart break?

1. Know your market

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat down with first time home buyers to go over what they are looking for in a home only to find out that what they want and where they want it doesn’t add up. For instance, if you are in search of a single family detached home with the average 3 bedrooms and 2 baths in Chula Vista for under $200,000 then you are out of luck! Sure they might be one or two (major) fixers out there, but if that’s your price range, fixers are probably not for you.
(As of today there is 1 3 bedroom 1.5 bath at $199,000)

2. Lower your expectations

This is probably going to be the most controversial piece of advice, depending on who you ask. Many might tell you not to settle and keep looking but the fact is, many who adhere to this approach end up house hunting for several years before finding the right home, settling or just simply giving up.
Focusing on what’s important to you should guide your home search. Instead of picturing that dream home, pin point 3 things you absoloutely need or want to have and work around that. Most things in a home can be changed so know when to compromise.

3. Don’t look at everything

Many buyers enjoy the home buying process because of the multitude of properties they get to see and picture themselves in. A big mistake many make is finding a home they truly like yet decide they still want to see what’s out there. After looking at a few more properties with their own individual pros and cons, the likeability of the 1st home has been diluted by the others which prevents them from commiting to it. The more properties you look at, the longer it will take you to find the right home.

Being realistic would be my best peice of advice for future home buyers. Buying a home should be an exciting time in ones life but excitement can quickly lead to dissappointment if the expectations aren’t aligned with the current real estate market. So do your research and know from day one if what you are dreaming of actually exists in your price range.