Falling in love leaves you feeling giddy happy and exhilarated. How could such a wonderful thing happen to me, we think. But, sometimes we fall out of love just as quickly, as we spend more time with the object of our love. This can be true in house shopping, too. Falling in love with a house while we’re shopping for a new home can be a big mistake!
If you’re like me, as you walk through a property, you smile at the things you love and point out the things that would have to be changed if this were your house. When you finally find a house that checks off almost everything on your “must-have-in-my-next-house” list, you may start falling in love with the house. Here’s why that could be a mistake:
You Don’t Know Everything!
A walk-through of a house gives you just an overview of the home, which is frequently those items you want to check off on your list. We take for granted some of the things about the house. It will be well insulated, the roof won’t leak, the HVAC in excellent working order, and with a sound foundation. A good home inspection will uncover any problems. Then we’ve be so sad, because we’ve already fallen in love with this house. Remember, there’s lots of houses available, just keep looking.
Too High an Offer
We all enter the house shopping process hoping to get the best house for our bucks. The power shifts to the seller after you fall in love with their house. You may be tempted to offer more than you’d originally planned, especially when you feel like your competing with other buyers to purchase this home. It’s hard to keep a level financial head, when your heart says this is the only home for me, but that’s exactly what you need to do. Once you know how much the home is worth, your offer should be no more than that amount.
When It’s Not a Mistake
After you’ve received made a sound offer on the home based on it’s worth, received a favorable home inspection, and purchased the home, that’s the time to fall in love. This house is yours, through the good and the bad. This will be your home for years to come. Now it’s time to furnish and decorate your dream home to share with your family and friends. Guard against falling in love until after the purchase is complete!