The Self-Care Mom

We fell in love with a pink house and ended up with our dream home.

For years, I’ve been trying to convince my husband that owning a home is a lot better than renting one. The headaches of dealing with someone else’s property and having to repair something time after time isn’t worth it.

Owning a home will give you a piece of mind. After all, each time you invest in the home you’ve purchased, you’re putting money back into your pocket. Whatever you fix or renovate gives your home more value. Not someone else’s.   

Making A Promise And Keeping It
Knowing what we were willing to pay each month on a mortgage was key to finding a home. Based on the area we were considering as our forever home, we did our best to stay within our budget while searching the Realtor app. We didn’t plan on finding a home that hit the top of our budget, but we knew that for the amount of house we wanted and needed for our family, we were willing to pay the price.

If you’re hoping to purchase a home in less than six months like we did, then I recommend looking into getting pre-approved as soon as possible. Save yourself the headaches and stick to Quicken Loans. They will work with you on the phone and all you have to do is scan and send everything.

As for finding the right realtor to do the job, I highly recommend ours in South Florida: Victoria Perez. She’s a natural hustler who knows what it takes to get you from searching to owning the home of your dreams.

We also had another realtor helping us whenever we had questions about the approval process and what to expect along the way. Jeff’s mom, Gloria Petingi, is a realtor in North Jersey and she knows the ins and outs as well. She has been in the real estate industry for a number of years.

It was a pleasure being able to have these two women help us along the way.

More Than Just A Team
Aside from having the right people on your side, you need to have the right mentality. Each step of the way, we were faced with challenges. They were almost like rocks on what I swore was going to be a smooth transition. Anything that requires a credit score check more than once is going to be a headache. Banks dig deep into your purchasing habits and everything comes up. A student loan my husband thought he had already paid off come up and we needed to dish out more than a thousand dollars — and that wasn’t the only thing that they found. Minor things that didn’t seem like an issue are a big deal to the banks because they want to make sure you’re the right applicant for their loan — especially an FHA loan.

If you’re thinking of transitioning from renting to owning a home, then I strongly suggest not only saving up for a down payment, but also for anything that might pop up along the way. If you’re considered about your credit, give yourself at least four to six months of paying your bills on time and paying off your debt — more so your credit cards and anything else that might impact your credit score. Some people might suggest waiting a year. Whatever the waiting period might be, it’s worth it for the overall goal of owning a home.

Quick tips to keep in mind when searching for a home: 
– Stick to Realtor.com/ the Realtor app. 
They update their status often and you’ll know whether or not a home is still available.
– Research different areas.
You want to make sure the value of your home will go up in time, not down. Good schools are always a plus!
– Make sure you research the home you’re interested in. 
You want to make sure your purchase is worth every penny, and not that it’ll be costing you every penny. Look into the utilities in that area, and the amount you’ll be paying each month.
– Check for new listings daily and always keep an eye on possible homes.
Even if it’s at the top of your budget, keep them on your favorite list because the price could go down.