Feeling overwhelmed?
Confused?
Frustrated?
Plain old sick of open homes?
Your’e not alone.
Buying your first home is a major process, and we’re here to help you through it.
Amanda Clinton-Gohdes is our first home buyer specialist. Not only is she a lawyer practicing in conveyancing and property law, she is also a first home buyer herself. Learn from Amanda’s experiences as she blogs about the ups and downs of buying your first home.
Introduction
I don’t know about you, but when I set out on the hunt to find my first home, I had wonderful images of what a fabulous adventure it would be. I imagined cosy evenings perusing the pages of the Property Press, sunny Sundays (maybe two?) going to open homes with a takeaway coffee in one hand and my smiling husband’s hand in the other. I imagined finding the perfect home, buying it for less than it was really worth, then taking a selfie with the sold sign a few weeks later.
Kind of like Google tells you it will be:
Look at all those happy people! This is going to be an amazing adventure! So much fun I thought. No sweat I thought.
Don’t get me wrong, there have been some cosy evenings with the Property Press and some sunny Sundays looking at houses, but the hunt for the dream home has been much more of a mission than I ever imagined. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and straight up tired of open homes, I feel your pain. On the other hand, if you’re still feeling energetic and hopeful about the hunt, keep it up! You’re doing great! There are plenty of people who find their first home without too much stress.
Either way, I hope that this blog will give you some helpful tips and tricks to finding your first home.
Come on the journey with me as I search for the first home of my dreams, and learn what to do and what not to do from my experience both as a property lawyer and as a first home buyer.
First things first, meet the players
a) Weekday property Lawyer Amanda (weekend open-home Amanda below)
Loosely tied shoelaces for slipping shoes off and on, and socks without holes in them!
Note also, pockets in jeans for agents’ business cards / folded up flyers / open home bingo (we’ll get to that).
c) Husband Justin
Note: large pockets for free pens and lollies from Real Estate Agents
Upcoming episodes include
- Financial fundamentals
- What do you (and we) want?
- How to find ‘the one’
- What exactly is an offer and how do I make one?
- A Building Report can save your bacon
- Being the back-up (offer)
- House hunting hell / Don’t be a desperado
- How a multi-offer changes everything
Disclaimer
At the time of writing, as a property lawyer I have helped many people buy houses. As a first home buyer however, I am still helping my very lovely landlords pay off their mortgage rather than paying off a mortgage of my own.
But I remain hopeful. And that my friends, is everything.