Wait, We Are Only In The Driveway?

       The first houses we saw were a big learning experience for me. Do you like to have to walk up steps right when you walk in the door? What size entry way do you prefer? (i.e. what are you planning to fit in your entry) Do you like the layout? Is it awkward having this long hallway? Why is the kitchen so closed off? Yea that shower is NOT going to work…. Do you really need a master bathroom? Do you want a walk in closet? How much storage space do you need? Why are there 5 levels in this home….do I really want to clean that!? (Because come on, most of us aren’t going to be able to have a housekeeper!)

You certainly learn after 4 or 5 houses things you like and things you don’t. I was pretty closed-minded about a few of the looks of the homes from the outside after seeing them (you know the ones that look like they have caps on top right? No? Am I the only one that thinks some of the roofs look funny? Okay...) but Brenda forced (okay maybe forced is harsh but strongly encouraged! me to give them a shot). I am certainly glad she did too! Just like you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, you shouldn’t judge the inside of a home by it’s roof! We saw huge houses stuck in the old days, smaller ones with some awesome upgrades, multi-levels, ramblers, split foyers, and everything in between.  I figured out my style little by little as we went. We looked all over the Twin Cities too. If you don’t know what location you want, try them all! We looked in Apple Valley, Eagan, Prior Lake, Shakopee, Savage, Eden Prairie, Burnsville, and Richfield. As you drive to the homes, check out the neighborhood. Could you see yourself and family living there? Who is outside? What time of day is it and what is going on? What kind of neighborhoods did you have to go through to get to the home? Is it an established neighborhood or is it in the early stages of growing?Does it look like people have kept their homes up or let them go with the ages…believe me it’s not hard to tell! Be aware of your surroundings!

When you pull up to the home, think about how it feels…could you see yourself pulling in this driveway everyday and driving to and from work everyday, church, the grocery store, etc  from here? What is the weather like where you are? How long is the driveway? Is it steep? Will you have freezing where you won't be able to get up it? Is there a garage? Do you want a garage? If you plan to entertain ever, is there room for additional parking? How is the curb appeal? Could you keep up the landscaping outside? Is the driveway asphalt, stone, or concrete? Where do you have to go to get your mail (if it is across the street, is the street busy where you wouldn’t want to have to do that daily?)? Don’t get overwhelmed…enjoy it! But think of these things in the back of your mind while you are in the process. Okay, you are officially parked in the driveway or wherever your parking is. Look at the neighbors’ homes and who is out and if you are in an older neighborhood or young families (what do you prefer to be in?)

Now…the inside…..

 

The Brenda Chapter Has Opened...

          Now to the Brenda chapter. The first day Brenda and I talked, she sent me many house options that we may be interested in. She did this after asking a bunch of questions like the area we were looking for, our budget, where we work, if the age of the house mattered, what we like to do in our spare time, how many bedrooms or bathrooms we were looking for, what type of yard, what kind of community, and all our MUST-haves. Now, at the time, we were pretty open to looking at all types of houses and areas as we didn’t know what community we liked best.  I don’t know what you guys think, but looking at pictures of a potential house to call your own home is very surreal. I LOVE looking at houses. I always used to tell my mom when we would walk that we should have our own show that walks around neighborhoods and comments on what each house could do to make it look nicer, what they could add, trying to figure out what the heck they were trying to do, or trying to find cost-effective ways we could do the same thing.  Not to say I know the best ways/decor, because, let’s be real, I have plenty to learn about in that area! If I had no budget limits though, I feel like I could come up with some pretty awesome stuff! If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can also come up with some pretty creative ideas on a budget. I feel like all of us have it in us to make our dream house come true whether it be on a smaller scale or not.

Back on task here…as I looked through the houses online, it was a lot of , “This is okay; I don’t know about that bathroom; The bedroom is stuck in the 70s; The yard is nasty; The dining room is too small; The kitchen needs updating; Ooo I love this;" and so on. But, hey, go SEE them! You know the saying that a camera adds 10 pounds; the same is true for houses only it adds 10 pounds of greatness to something or 10 pounds or bad angles to it! If you have the time, go see the places in person. DON’T settle, EVER! When you go, write your pros and cons, write down how you felt walking through the house, and if you see yourself/your family there? Could you drive there every day, could you live in that neighborhood, could you do the activities you enjoy in and outside of the house???—the questions are endless.

My mother-in-law (soon to be at the time) got together and jumped into Brenda’s car the day after she sent me the options and off we were! We saw 12 very different houses that day! So here begins the house hunting journey….

It all begins somewhere...

          Hello everyone!  I have become such great friends with Brenda Hanson, Realtor Superstar at Friemann Companies Real Estate Services, I almost forgot we met while I was trying to find a house a couple years ago! So first, let me take you back to where it all began…

My husband and I (or fiancé at the time), got engaged in October of 2011. I had lived in Mankato and he lived in the Twin Cities here in MN. After three and a half years of mostly long-distance dating, one of us had to move eventually, and it was only logical that I do it since he was in school yet in the cities. I found a job in the Twin Cities in April and had started apartment hunting! We decided to wait until marriage to move in together, so I was trying to find a place to stay until we got married that coming October, 2012. So, my mom and I packed up the car for the afternoon one Saturday and went hunting! I will always remember the first place we went to…I won’t even say the name of it! It was terrible looking on the outside but we thought we would give it a chance. I can tell you that when I asked if they had mice problems (not really sure why I asked that, I guess it seemed to be appropriate after looking around), she said “Amanda, all apartments have mice. Go for the top floors if you are worried. They usually don’t make it that far.” Like, are we serious!!! Okay, okay, I know I grew up quite spoiled but come on now, was she nuts!? We walked right out of there and didn’t say a word to each other the rest of the way to the next place. We looked at two or three more that included mold-infested areas that I wouldn’t put my worst enemy in. We decided to completely switch areas after driving through one without even stopping in due to noticing the bars all over the windows. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying there are not some great apartments out there, just none of the ones in my budget at the time! These places were the prices of a house payment, and I couldn’t understand how anyone would pay that! We were both pretty discouraged and the last studio apartment we saw that would have fit me, a bed, and possibly an ottoman (pending the size), led us straight home. We both needed a drink by the end of that day! My cousin randomly, by a gracious act of GOD Himself, offered his new place for me to stay until I found something. THANK YOU!

So, I moved in with them in April and the house journey began. My fiancé was working full-time and in school full-time, so I was doing most of the leg work until we needed to make some decisionsJ. I walked into the bank and talked to a Mortgage Loan Officer, which was a great experience. She was great and really helpful! Be warned though, the price range they give you isn’t necessarily the price range you should look in. Just for the sake of easy numbers, say that you qualified for $400,000. You may be able to possibly pay the monthly mortgage for that, but you have to consider your other expenses. What do you like to do for activities? How much do you spend on entertainment? Do you like to give a lot of gifts? Do you throw a lot of events? How much goes in your savings every month? How much to you like to splurge on different things?  Do you like to travel?  Will you be able to afford it when you have kids some day? Will you be able to save for their graduations/college some day?  NO ONE wants to be house poor.

So my venting session on that is done, but I just want you to consider this before going in to speak to the loan officer. Our lender, who was amazing-did I mention that?- recommended Brenda, who was also amazing-did I mention that either?-to me since I didn’t know any agents or have anyone I knew of to work with.  I called her right after I left the bank, left a voicemail, and heard back from her that night, and so starts the Brenda chapter of my life. J