3 Lessons from a Realtor Who Just Bought Her First Home
Having worked as a real estate agent with The Patterson Group for four years, I’ve had the privilege of helping several clients purchase their first homes. Earlier this year, it suddenly came time for me to start thinking about buying a house for myself. I thought it would be a piece of cake, having lived through the process with so many others. Boy, was I wrong! Read on for three important lessons I learned—most of them the hard way!
Lesson #1:
Repeat after me: This is your first home, not your dream home.
The name of the game is priorities. Chances are you’re not going to get everything you’ve ever dreamed of in your very first house, so it’s important to make a list of your non-negotiables. For me, location and space (in terms of lot size and square footage) were the most important things on my list. Because these are things I wouldn’t be able to change about the house later on, it was crucial for me to feel content with these. Cosmetic changes to the interior are always doable and can be a fun way to make your new house your own. I’m currently having the floors stained darker and walls painted gray (I know, real original…)!
Lesson #2:
Patience is a virtue…Patience is a virtue…
Good things come to those who wait—this coming from quite possibly the most impatient person on this earth. If one more person told me, “If it’s meant to be, it will happen,” I was going to lose it. But they were right! After six, long months of looking, a very long negotiation process, and a one-month stay at my parents’ house, I knew that I had found the perfect house for me, even though it took longer than I had initially hoped. It’s important not to settle or jump at the first opportunity that comes your way if it doesn’t feel right. When you walk into the right house, you will have a gut feeling and know you’re making the right decision.
Lesson #3:
Brace yourself, y’all.
Buying your first house is an emotional roller coaster. There’s just no other way to put it. I went from feeling ecstatic to scared to anxious to excited multiple times over. If it puts things in perspective, waiting for a new listing to come on the market or waiting a few days to hear back from a seller feels weirdly similar to waiting on your crush to text you back…a feeling that I think we all know comes with a lot of emotions. You will experience a wider range of emotions than you thought possible, and that’s normal! Try not to second guess yourself and always trust your gut!
At the end of the day, all of the waiting and the emotions were well worth it. Buying your first house is an extremely exciting and rewarding experience, and to make the process even easier, The Patterson Group is here to help you through it!
