The Home Buying Journey
Pandemic? What pandemic?? The property market in Canterbury is defying expectations with house prices on the rise, and an increase in buyers – but not enough houses for them to buy. This means competition for properties is hot, and getting hotter. It’s never been more important to have a plan in place to maximise your chances of buying the home of your dreams. With that wonderful goal in mind, I’d like to discuss the importance of understanding the home buying journey.
By looking at home ownership as a progressive thing, where you go from Start to Finish in a methodical way, you’re more likely to take all the right steps towards your desired destination. Think of each step as a piece, and the journey as a puzzle. Take a piece out of the puzzle, and the whole thing looks incomplete. For a home buying plan to work, it needs to be complete, and with nothing left to chance.
I’d love to share my experience and knowledge with you when it comes to your individual journey. I promise not to be an annoying and nagging backseat driver! Instead, I’ll be an encouraging and helpful travelling companion. In the meantime, here are a few things to consider before you get too far down the road.
Get the right people around you. I’m always here, of course. But you’ll also need a lawyer, an insurer, someone in your bank that you can work with, or a mortgage broker. Later in the process, a property inspector could come in very handy.
Before you set your heart on a home, make sure your finances are in place, and you have approval from your lender.
Don’t buy on face value. While your preferred property might be easy on the eye, it might have a history that’s less than attractive. Do your homework on the place and find out as much about it as you can. I’m more than happy to tell you what you should be looking for as part of the research stage.
Know and understand the method of sale for that home before you make an offer.
Plan your settlement day, make a pre-settlement inspection and be sure your finances and insurance are in order before you pick up the keys and move in.
This is not a complete guide but it is enough to show you that buying a home shouldn’t be a random exercise. When other people are vying for the same home, and there WILL be others in today’s buoyant market, you’ll need to have all the pieces in place to give yourself a fighting chance. I have seen how devastating it is when people miss out on a home they’ve fallen in love with. I don’t want it to happen to you. So, get in touch with me and I’ll happily go into the home buying journey in greater detail.
