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Shopping for a home can be a lot of hard work, but it’s completely worth it when you find the right space for you and your family. If your children are young, buying a house that needs a lot of work is not a good plan. However, if you can buy with an eye toward your future, your first home can be both a good investment and a wonderful nest for you and your family.
Start With a “New to You” Home
If your children are small, a “new to you” home may be the best choice. While you want to make sure the house is spotlessly clean, it’s a good idea to wait on big upgrades. Putting in your dream kitchen cabinets may be a goal, but if you can wait until your children are out of the Big Wheel stage, your new cabinets will look nice for much longer. Your first home is also a great time to decide what you;
- need
- want
- must have
For example, if you’ve always had visions of growing your own food, your first house is a great place to start a little garden. Plant a few fruit trees and manage your first cherry, apricot or pear harvest to see how storing all that produce goes. Home improvement and gardening seldom show when wasps move into your clothesline or when vine borers wipe out your cucumbers. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t plant these things; just start small and work through the rough patches.
Buy For Your Future
When reviewing Beaumont TX homes for sale, consider your plans for your family over the next ten years. Make sure there are enough bedrooms and the home is spacious enough for you and your family to comfortably live in long-term. If you don’t have as big a down payment as you’d like, keep an eye out for grant and forgivable loan programs that can help you pull together a bid.
Even if you’ve been able to save up a hearty down payment, having cash in the bank when you buy your home can give you some flexibility if the house needs any work to make your family safe and comfortable. Guard your budget.
Cosmetic Upgrades Only to Start
If the carpet in the new house is in good shape but ugly try to live with it until you are settled and into the rhythm and flow of the house. Of course, if it’s both ugly and in rough shape, replacing it will be a celebration.
It can be very tempting to start thinking about moving walls, adding bathrooms, and other big changes when you settle into a new space. However, the pain and struggle of renovation will be much more worth your time and effort if you can spend time in the space. Two tiny bedrooms may not be the best choice for one of your children, but tearing out the wall between the two means that neither of them will have a space until the work is done.
Right after a move is not a good time to renovate. If you have the cash, another place to stay and the fortitude, renovating before you move in is possible. However, you will probably find problems with the house that you wish you’d addressed after the initial renovation. If at all possible, wait until you know what works in the space, what is less than ideal and what really isn’t working for you at all.
Conclusion
The first step in your first home is to take small steps. Spend as little as possible in energy and cash on upgrades that aren’t necessary right now. Hang onto your money and settle into the house. Make changes as problems crop up.
