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15 tips I have for surviving the home buying process

I am far from an expert, but here are some tips I have from my experience (which did include a total of bids on 5 places and 3 accepted bids).

  1. Work with folks you trust (for me, this meant getting personal recommendations, but for you it might mean reading reviews)
  2. Don't be afraid to ask those trusted folks for their opinions (as a newbie to this process, I made sure to ask questions, even if they were perhaps silly)
  3. Try to determine what are your musts, what you can wiggle on, and what are just bonuses (e.g. a must for me was two bedrooms, I could wiggle if there wasn't a bathtub, but I could install one, and outdoor space was a bonus)
  4. Part of this is figuring out how much home renovation excites you vs. burdens you (I find the general idea of major renovations stressful, but some people find it exciting--if this is you, you will have way more options)
  5. Additionally, there are some less checklist-y things to consider like 
  6. Before determining a rough budget, take a look at what is for sale on Zillow so you can get a loose sense of what a home you'd like costs (it is possible that you'll discover that a home with all of your musts costs more than you thought--or vice versa!)
  7. That said, have fun looking at Zillow--or a similar site (it's okay to take breaks from looking within your budget or area of preference to just have some fun--the home buying process can be draining and/or disheartening, so if you need moments of levity, grab 'em! Additionally, I recommend Zillow Gone Wild)
  8. You can also check out open houses in the areas you want or for homes that meet some of your wants/needs (this way, you can get a sense of what the things you want actually look like)
  9. If you're getting a condo, also be sure to look at the monthly HOA cost and what the HOA fee includes (in my neighborhood, the HOA fees range WILDLY as do what they cover
  10. Ask for any additional checks you want, if they're not reasonable or not possible, people will tell you (I asked for a possible plumbing issue to be checked to determine if it was a large, medium, or small problem--turned out to be medium)
  11. The pace of home buying--from my limited experience--is slow until it's fast (what I mean by this is, it can take a long time to find a place that feels right, but once you make an offer, things can start to move very quickly)
  12. Emotions are gonna happen on your end and, quite possibly, on the seller's end (homes are so personal, it's perfectly normal if some things are stirred up for you as you prepare to find a new one as well as for the seller as they prepare to let go of theirs)
  13. Remember, if your pet is an emotional support animal, you can move in to any unit (this is at least the law in Illinois--check your local laws if you're outside IL! Also, that said, there is a difference between a building where your beloved pet is tolerated vs accepted)
  14. Ultimately, remember that you are buying a home and it's okay to hold firm to wants and needs (a home is the most important purchase as you will spend so much of your life there)
  15. It ain't over til it's over (before my current accepted bid, I had two other bids accepted and two other ones that I lost out on--things can seem to be going right, but anything can fall through)

(Prompt by me)

Photo by Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash


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