Hi lovelies,

Buying your first home is a big step and it’s the most expensive purchase you’re ever going to make, so you need to make sure that you don’t rush into things. It’s harder than ever for young people to get their foot on the property ladder and people spend a long time saving up the deposit that they need. When they finally get there and it’s time to start looking at houses, a lot of people find that they don’t really know what they’re looking for. If you’re about to start looking for your first home, here are a few simple tips that you should follow. 

Always Budget First 
It’s easy to get carried away when you’re looking at houses, but if you want to avoid disappointment, you should always budget first. If you start looking without a clear budget in mind, you might fall in love with a house, only to realize that you can’t afford it. You need to look at how much you have for a deposit and what you can realistically afford to spend each month. It’s also a good idea to look into home loan pre-approval so you can work out what kind of mortgage you’re likely to get before you start viewing houses. If you go in with a clear budget in mind, you can manage your expectations and you won’t waste time looking at places that you will never be able to afford. 

List Your Priorities 
When you are trying to narrow down your options, you need to make a list of your priorities for the house and for the area that you live. Do you want somewhere with a nice outdoor space? Do you want a big kitchen? Are you willing to live in a rural area where there isn’t much going on or would you rather be nearer to the centre of a city? If you list your priorities and then rank them in order of importance, it will be a lot easier to choose which houses you want to view. 

Imagine Yourself Living There 
When you start viewing houses, you need to think about the practical stuff and check for any damage or signs of damp etc. but you also need to really think about whether you could imagine yourself living there. It’s important that your house feels like a home, and even a house that is perfect on paper might not necessarily be right for you. Keep that in mind when looking around and try to imagine where you would put all of your things and how you would use the different rooms. 

Always Get A Survey Done 
No matter how many times you look around a house, there are always things that you will miss. You don’t want to buy a house that has lots of hidden problems that are expensive to fix, which is why you need to have an independent survey done before you buy. A surveyor will be able to spot things like roof damage, damp problems, faulty plumbing, and dangerous wiring. You won’t notice these things yourself, so always get a professional opinion as well. 

If you follow these tips when you are viewing houses, you can make sure that your first home is perfect.