I'm at a point in my life where I pray to keep meeting the right people. People who genuinely want the best for me, hold me in high regard and add peace to my life.
How to buy a house you won't regret (in order):
1. Area is more important than a house
Don't make the mistake of falling in love w/ a house 25 min from the grocery store
2. If you have kids or (many forget) WILL have kids, buy in a good school district
You don't want to buy a house childless, then have a kid and find out you need to move as the schools suck
3. Research community you can get involved in NEAR the house
If the gym you like is 35 min from your new house, you won't go. If you want to build community at church, live closer to the church
4. For younger families... do research on the age of the neighborhood
How? Do creepy things. Look for swing sets, stop by when the bus lets out and see how many kids get off, look up real estate records and see when houses were purchased (if purchased in 1988, the family is older)
5. How is traffic in and around the n'hood, travel times to work/school
Do a dry run quickly as you narrow down your choices
6. Is the city still building? That could mean higher valuations... good. Also, higher property taxes.
Could also mean more traffic, but also more restaurants/stores, etc.
7. If you plan to buy a new house, buy at the early stages of the n'hood. You get instant equity.
New n'hoods appreciate as they build out
8. Layout of house (inside and out) is more important than any kitchen features, etc.
Changing a layout is difficult (besides knocking down walls). Make sure the house flows as you need.
9. Make sure you know if you want a basement or not
Can't ever change that...at least that I know of...
10. Very last thing --- best to invest where all these things line up. May mean you buy more house than you can afford... but living there for a long time, it's okay. If you aren't sure you'll be there for more than 5 years, buy smaller.
Housing IS weird... because you're at the mercy of the inventory that's available at the very moment you're looking.
Your dream house could come up for sale 2 weeks after closing.
So chances are you ARE NOT buying your dream house.
Make sure you hit the other criteria well.
P.S. Notice none of the list includes fixtures or 'does the bathroom have heated floors?" You can put in that stuff as you go. Don't get distracted by the bigger picture
I’m only at about 30 weeks and I feel like a fraud because I was sold the idea that pregnancy is 9 months of pure suffering. The truth is, it’s been so easy that I often completely forget that I’m pregnant. I’m convinced that if it’s torture, you have some underlying health condition to begin with.
I responded to 86 emails from a client over a 9 month period during her divorce. She won custody, assets, alimony, the works. Then she left a review that said, “She was good in court but communication with her is nearly impossible.”
I don’t know what you people want from me.
some girl just crashed into me and we both didn’t know what to do so we called our dads and we’re just standing here holding our phones together so our dads can talk to each other 🧍🏻♀️