Hello hello, and welcome to Episode 92 of Life On the Brink!
Last summer, my husband and I decided it was time to start thinking about buying a house. This summer, I’m coming to you from my new home. Simple as that? Hardly. The past year has been full of unknowns and new challenges, but also lots of beautiful surprises. Today I’m sharing some of my own experience as a first-time home buyer, how I navigated the world of real estate, and what I would do differently in the future. Whether you are hoping to move or buy in the near future or simply wish to be prepared for when the time comes, I’ve got you covered!
What’s in my teacup? Jasmine green tea (in an adorable flower-printed cup)
First, allow me to provide some background and recap the timeline…
My husband and I rented a two bedroom, 888 square foot apartment for three years. It was a really great place to start our life together, but we had dreams of owning a home and having a bit more space to grow. I personally was also craving a bit of a private outdoor space and was missing trees. Around this time last year, we decided to sit down and talk about what that might look like.
We found a realtor in September (more on that later), and I spent almost every morning scouring their search portal for prospective homes. Josh and I went to see 4 houses total, and found our home in mid October. We put in an offer the same day we saw it, had a bit of a bidding war, and closed in November. Amazing!
I never felt more like an adult than when Josh and I spent a Wednesday morning signing form after form of legal documents, then left with a set of keys. It was exciting, but also scary. Now I’ve been living in our home for several months and honestly still can hardly believe it’s real. I love our new house, and it’s becoming more and more like a true home as we live in and renovate it.
Right then, now that you have a bit of context, allow me to share with you some tips that really helped me during the searching, buying, and moving processes.
*A note: this list will focus less on the finances of home buying, as everyone’s situation is very different. For that I recommend speaking with your bank or with trusted family members, then asking your realtor a bunch of questions.*
8 TIPS FOR MOVING AND MAKING A HOME (what worked for me)
-Find a trustworthy realtor, then trust them. Usually, when I enter a new enterprise I research it fully until I feel confident that I know how it works. Funnily enough, this was one area of my life where I didn’t do that, and I’m so so glad I didn’t. House-buying is a crazy and scary process, but there are people who have made their living translating that process to people all the time.
Josh and I found our realtor through family members and she was just awesome. Rather than doing a lot of independent research ahead of time, I just asked her a lot of questions every time we entered a new step in the process and trusted her judgment. I truly never learned what all was involved until it was upon me, and personally this worked very well. If you’re prone to overthinking like me, it could be a great idea to just learn enough to do the next step.
-Make a list of priorities and dealbreakers. This was something Josh and I did before ever looking for a house. We had a list of absolute dealbreakers (three bedrooms, a garage, some sort of garden, etc.), and then a list of things we’d like in a home, but could be worked around. This was super helpful as we searched for houses, and it’s what made us recognize the house that became our new home so quickly.
To start, I simply recommend thinking about your lifestyle and your current frustrations with your space. This will help you find the new space you need.
-Get the mood boards going. I started my home Pinterest boards before we found our house because 1. It just got me excited to be thinking about house and 2. It really helped me enter a new house with a more artistic eye. I was more able to see how elements of the house might be altered or worked with in order to feel like “home” to me. Also, it’s remained a very useful resource since moving into the house.
*I talk more about using mood boards for home inspo in Podcast 81:Designing My First House + how to revamp your space (on a budget)*
-Accept that your schedule and space will be different for a while, and make adjustments as necessary. Josh and I closed on our house in November, but our apartment lease wasn’t up til the end of February. In theory, we could have moved in by the end of the year and might have been able to cut a few months off our rent, but that would have put a big move right at Christmastime.
Not only is that a very busy time for my teaching and performing jobs, but it’s also one of our favorite, most cozy times of year. I knew that once we got really underway, our schedule and sense of space would be quite disrupted for a while, which can cause us more stress. Instead, we spent December and January doing some bigger renovation projects like painting and replacing carpet on the ground floor, then used February to gradually pack, move and clean. It definitely wasn’t easy splitting our evenings between the two homes, but for us the slower timeline was definitely far less stressful.
-Ask for help when packing, cleaning, and moving. If at all possible, I recommend reaching out to your family or community when making big moves, as it makes things go SO much quicker. There were a few days when Josh and I needed to haul a bunch of bigger items to the new house, and our family came out in droves with the trucks and dollies and helped us get it done in only a few hours. Likewise, we had quite a bit of cleaning in both our apartment and new house, and when there are a lot of people it feels much less like a chore. Of course, it’s lovely to show your gratitude, whether with bagels or pizza or by helping the next time someone in your life moves.
-Meet your neighbors! This is something I have been very intentional about, and it’s been so beneficial. Making a point to introduce myself to the neighbors on either side of our house as well as across the street provided such a quick sense of community, and I love knowing that I have people I can count on so close by. I’ve been baking for said neighbors here and there, and actually had the chance to introduce myself and Josh with banana bread to a new couple that moved in next door soon after we settled in. Would you believe me if I said we had dinner at their house last week? This is the kind of community I’ve dreamt of!
-Walk through your neighborhood. This goes hand in hand with the previous point. Taking long walks through my new neighborhood has not only introduced me to other sweet neighbors, but has also helped create a mental map of the streets surrounding my own. I love to see what kinds of places I’m able to explore just on my own two feet. At my last apartment I used to walk to the library all the time, and since moving Josh and I have found trails and bike routes, and naturally have made the 8 minute walk to Dairy Queen.
-Make space for observation. In some cases I’ve found it very useful to live in a space for a little bit before making big changes. For example, I haven’t made too many changes or big plans for the garden in the backyard, as there are already so many things growing out there. Just this week, lilies have bloomed right under my bedroom window! I had no idea they were there.
I’m taking time to see how things will grow this season, and only have filled in the very empty spots with veggies and herbs. Likewise, inside the house I’m noticing how our routines have shifted in the space, and have let those routines dictate the kinds of furniture, art, and color that accompany them.
All in all, I’d say our moving process went fairly smoothly. We were fortunate in the fact that we didn’t move very far away from our old apartment, we had a lot of family in the area, and we had time in our lease to make things less stressful. Your moving situation may be very different, so give yourself grace where you need it.
There are a few things, though, that I wish I’d known before moving into this house. Here’s hoping they help you!
3 THINGS I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY (learn from my mistakes!)
-Find reliable contractors/servicers before you need them. Problems will naturally arise, from plumbing or electrical issues to landscaping challenges to renovation questions, and sometimes those problems arise at very inopportune times. My suggestion: find help before you need it, either from local loved ones or even from the previous homeowner, if possible. For example, since moving into our home in February Josh and I have become very well-acquainted with pest control service that our previous owner used, but it would have been more useful to establish that relationship before we needed them.
-Be flexible with timelines. We all want our new house to magically come together and feel like a home, but I’m again learning the benefits of going easy on myself in terms of deadlines. I mentioned at the beginning of the year that my main goal for 2023 was to make this new house feel like a home (and be generally “done”) by Christmastime. As the year is half over, I feel like perhaps my version of “done” needs to be adjusted. I do feel like much progress will be made between now and then, and I’m using this summer to spend a lot of time on house projects, but it’s ok if it’s not “done” by the end of this year. We’re going to be here for several years! It’s simply time again to take each project one step at a time, rather than set a hard deadline.
-Time your commutes! Sounds like a no-brainer, but trust me when I say that looking at the distances on Google Maps is not nearly the same as actually driving to work/school/Trader Joe’s in your actual routine. Either before you move in or in the first few weeks of living in a new space, I recommend timing yourself on your commutes and really observing the light and traffic patterns (as well as your closest gas station). I’ve spent too many mornings running late over the past few months, and though I’m getting the hang of it now I highly recommend getting comfortable with it sooner than me!
More Inspiration:
This Week’s Little Joy: This past Saturday I spent the morning along at my favorite farmer's market in Colonial Williamsburg. I actually haven't gone too many times this season so far, and WOW it was just a perfect morning. From the moment I turned onto the Colonial Parkway lined with beautiful trees, I felt so far away. I got lots of fresh veggies and fun things, then settled at an outdoor table with a fresh spinach feta croissant and a coffee (pictured above). I took my time and enjoyed my own company, truly a perfect summer morning.
What I’m Listening To: This week I'm listening to “Chet Baker Sings: It Could Happen To You” by Chet Baker, as his voice is the most beautiful melodious sound. I think this album could be played anywhere and instantly the space would feel more homey and cozy. Give it a try!
Thank you so much for listening! Feel free to leave a comment, or head to Apple Podcasts to leave a star rating or review. If you have any suggestions for future episodes, send an email in the contact form on this site. I’d love to hear from you, have a great week, friend!
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