How to Make Buying a House Better
If you could be a professional mover, I might qualify. I don’t mean just the packing part, I mean the dealing with all the things part. So far in my short 26 years of life, I have lived in 1, 2, 3, 15 places. That doesn’t include the short, temporary homes people so graciously offered us. The last 3 houses, however, have been since our marriage & actual adulthood. Here is what I’ve learned.
Disclosure : This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I make a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links at no cost to you. This is made for full transparency.
In this blog post you will happily find…
My top tips on buying a house.
Ideas to make it special.
Recommendation for the best NW Indiana Realtor you could find.
How to scan documents if you have an iPhone!
Tip 01 : Use an Agent
This one is non-negotiable. This advice comes from a real estate agent herself. Yes, I am educated in real estate sales and know first hand the work they put in, the knowledge they hold and the need they fulfill.
Here’s the thing. It’s essentially free for you. In a normal real estate transaction, the seller is the one that covers the agent commissions. Most agents want to work with other agents, the job gets done smoother, and most importantly you have the representation deserved in such a high risk transaction.
My personal recommendation if you are in the Northwest Indiana region or even over the border in IL, reach out to Katherine Bultema.
Tip 02 : Keep your Files Organized and on Hand
Pretty simple, but you will need loads of documents ready to send to your lender. I make sure to scan all my documents and keep them in a special folder on my computer, always creating copies.
This may also make things easy when it comes to tax time and future references.
I do not have an Android so I cannot help you out there, but if you have an iPhone, this is how I scan documents on it!
Open your Notes app that comes on the phone. It is a little notepad image with a yellow top and “lined paper” on the bottom.
Once open, create a new documents by hitting the square icon that has a little pencil angled in the corner of it. This icon is usually on the bottom right of your phone screen when you open the Notes app.
When you open a new “note”, you will be brought to a fresh page and your keyboard should appear. Above the keyboard will be a band of icons. You will hit the camera one that is is the 4th icon.
Three choices will appear, “Scan Documents” is the last. Thats your target!
Follow the given instructions on your phone and you will be able to scan documents to your phone. From there you can email them, save them to your files, etc.
Tip 03 : Find Ways to Commemorate Your Achievements
A while ago I sent out a question box on Instagram. I asked what people did to make buying a house more special and memorable. So many quality answers were given, but here are my favorites or ones we plan on doing/did.
Let’s start with closing day. This is a special day. Snap your photo holding your key, a family portrait in front of the house, anything you need to look back and remember that day via your iPhone albums.
In addition, here are some things that were a must for me to bring at closing so I was prepared for our first visit to our new house. You will find lists of cleaning supplies, toilet paper, new locks, all that stuff everywhere on Pinterest. But this is my list for the things people don’t talk about. Things that bring meaning. - But yes, bring toilet paper.
What did I bring? A bottle of Champagne, a guest book, my plant (I only had one surviver from our move so I knew it had to join us) & my diffuser, but you can bring a candle. Basically bring a scent that means “home” to you. This will immediately make your new home feel more like your own & not just sleeping in someone else’s house.
Some other ideas people offered included photo walls, Bible verses on the walls, blessings for each room, scrapbook for renovations.
Tip 04 : Add Something that will Grow with You
Come spring, there is one more thing we plan to do to make this home more special. Something my dad would mention growing up was how tall the trees were at a house we used to live at. I didn’t think anything of it until I knew why it mattered to him. He planted those trees. Now he gets to see them flourish and grow.
Once warmer weather arrives, we plan on planting a tree in the back corner of our property. One that will grow big and tall. One that we can watch represent our lifetime in this home, the memories that are made, the growth that occurs in home and our family.