Things I Can't Say

Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom

My Long-awaited Homebuying Moment

I am blogging on behalf of Trulia, but the views expressed here are solely mine, not Trulia’s. To learn more, visit: http://on.trulia.com/postcards

Last spring, when we announced that we were buying our first house, our family and friends were bewildered. They had no idea we’d even been looking, and yet we were going to be closing on a new house less than three weeks after we first found the place we wanted to make our home.

home sweet home

But we’d literally been looking at houses for four years. We’d moved around a lot in the course of our marriage and had finally found the area we wanted to make home, although we continued to rent because we only wanted to buy when we knew we’d be moving into a house where we’d want to stay for many years.

So, we’d had years of discussions about what we wanted in a house; years of compromising between my tastes and my husband’s until we had a concise list of what we were looking for: a home built in the last five years, 3 to 4 bedrooms, at least 2.5 bathrooms(a powder room for guests and no possible way I’d have to share a bathroom with our three boys), some sort of bonus room we could use as an office/family room, and an open floor plan. It had to have a big backyard (bonus points if it was fenced in, but that wasn’t a breaking point) and be in the very limited elementary school district where our boys already went to school. AND it had to be in our price range.

Over the years, we found some houses that came close, but weren’t quite what we were looking for. But when we walked into the right house, we just knew. It had everything that we wanted, plus a sunroom where I immediately envisioned a reading area for me with big comfy chairs.

sunroom

The backyard wasn’t fenced in, but it was large and we could always put up a fence later. The house was brand new, in the back of a quiet cul-de-sac, and a one minute drive to our boys’ school.

We wasted no time putting in an offer and were moving in just a few weeks later.  I’m thrilled that we’ve finally found our home.

See the rest of Trulia’s homebuying moment postcards here: http://on.trulia.com/postcards

Our homebuying moment might have come quickly after we found our house, but it was a long process.  If you are looking to move, Trulia makes it easy to find a home, a neighborhood and a real estate agent. The home-buying process can be an emotional roller coaster, a gauntlet of unknowns – what can I afford? Is it the right house? Is it a good neighborhood? What’s the best kind of mortgage?

You probably don’t want to spend years researching this info, the way we did. Trulia provides homebuyers with information – on neighborhoods, schools, crime, local amenities, agents, and financing – so you can answer those questions with confidence.

 What are you looking for in a home?

Comments

  1. I remember when we bought our house.  My husband and I had gone on what seemed like endless showings and open houses.  When we walked into the house I have now, we knew instantly that it was the house we wanted.  And we got it.

  2. i dream of a separate bath/shower for our kids from us.  not happening soon though!!  congrats on the new house!

  3. We had a home sadly owed more than what it was worth so we did a short sale. Now we rent and the money we have saved is nice but we do miss owning. We will own again one day and this time we want the dream home so we won’t have to move anymore.

  4. That is a GORGEOUS house! Buying a home is definitely one of those special moments in life that you have to invest time into. You may look for days, weeks, and even months but when you find the one.. you know it. The best part about getting a new home is the decorating!

  5. I would love a single family home, I like our townhouse very much, but that sunroom is enviable. I would love a little nook of my own.
    (My dream house has a large master suite and a wall that is all comfy seat.)

    Your new home is just beautiful Shell, thank you for sharing pictures of it with us. xo

  6. My family and I move around a lot so we haven’t bought a house yet. Congrats to you on your new house, it’s very beautiful!

  7. With every home we’ve purchased, I’ve learned a little bit more of what I need in a house. I’m so glad you finally jumped and bought one. Fabulous!

  8. We bought our home in 2007, and I feel that we didn’t really plan ahead. At the time, it was a perfect starter home for us. Now with two children, we are quickly outgrowing it! I want to buy a new home in the next 5-7 years, and I do have a new list of “must haves” which include a garden tub in the master bath, at least 4 bedrooms, preferably a finished basement, a nice laundry room, and a large pantry!

  9. We bought our home in 1997. We looked at several that were pretty scary–we live in a college town and there are lots of former rental properties that come available. WE jumped on the best house we had seen and almost lost it, but ultimately succeeded in purchasing it. It’s not perfect, but it is in a great location and just the right size for us without being too much.
    Congrats on finding your dream home!

  11. We haven’t found our dream home yet. We’ve come close, almost bought one last week actually, but we are waiting, still. We know what we want but we also know we need to wait until the time is right. It’s a good and bad feeling at the same time. But it’ll be soooo worth it in the end.

  13. I remember buying our house was fun yet so stressful. The closing took forever and there were so many little issues. We are looking to sell soon so I know that’s going to be a whole new stress!

  15. What a gorgeous first home! Buying your first home is so exciting. I bought mine about 5 years ago, and while it is nowhere near as nice as yours, I was so thankful to be able to afford it and call it my own. I hope the move goes smoothly for you all. 

  18. Your house is gorgeous  love all of that light! We didn’t look when we bought our first house, we were renting it and then bought it. I regret it big time. I wish we would have looked around or thought about the future kids we would have. Now we are stuck in a small house that’s really fallen in value. The good thing is we are in the best district in Missouri so that makes up for it! We are just cozy now!

  19. We have lived in our home for over 35 years….it is HOME!  We never wanted to move cuz I have learned our home is part of us.

  20. We have been in our house for fifteen years and aren’t looking for one currently. We remodeled to make ours exactly the way we wanted. Your home is lovely! 

  21. Congrats on your new home!  Your first home purchase is such a huge milestone!  I love the pic of your sunroom – so bright and airy 🙂

  28. Congratulations! The new house is beautiful! We plan on renting for awhile just like you guys did until we find exactly what we are looking for!

  29.  Congratulations on finding your home. Right now we’re in a co-op that we love because of the amenities, but we may consider buying a home in a couple of years when our building’s mortgage is paid off. 

  30. Buying (and selling!) a house is a very important and stressful time for all involved! Congrats on your new home. It’s nice to be able to do what you want with your home and not have to ask a landlord for permission to paint first! 😉

  31. Your house is gorgeous! I love how on TV they go and look at 3 houses and have their dream house all picked out! Congrats!

  32. We’ve been in this current house WAY longer than we intended, and I dream of having a bigger closet or event a coat closet! We’ve look so much for what we want and couldn’t find it so we eventually bought some land. Now hopefully we can build on it!

  34. We looked at so many homes our realtor quit.  Then we found the home we bought…I felt bad for the realtor, but totally understood too.  When it’s something like a house, it’s got to be right!

    Congrats on finding the one you all love.

  35. Your new home looks so nice!  When we look for a home we look for something that has room for improvement so that we can get a good deal, fix it up and then use it as a rental once we pay off the mortgage.  We are hoping to collect house number four within two years!

  37. We bought our first house four years ago.  It isn’t our dream home but it’s not bad and it’s much better than renting!

  38. I am not looking forward to buying a home, to be honest. I’m glad that there are tools to make the process easier, though. It’s so great that you were able to find one that you loved and get settled fairly quickly!

  39. My husband and I are looking to move, and like you we have very specific ideas of what we want. We have actually been using trulia to help our research of good areas/homes. 

  40. I love Trulia. we are in the process of buying a new house, and Trulia has been tremendously helpful. congratulations to you on finding the right house!

  42. When I am ready to move I am going to look for a house with a yard, garage and a room just for my yarn. I am renting now but have been putting more thought into owning. Your new home looks wonderful! Enjoy!

  43. So exciting! I wish we could move right now, but we bought a townhouse and then the market seriously crashed. Our house is now worth 40k less than we owe and we only bought 4 years ago. We’re here for awhile.