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Are you fed up of giving all of your hard earned money to your landlord each month? Maybe you’re keen to make renovations and changes to a home, but can’t because it’s not your property? Perhaps you’ve experienced dodgy landlords, or you might just want to settle down and buy something that’s just yours. Either way, it starts becoming quite clear when you’re ready to buy your first property. Here are a few ways to know you’re ready to take the plunge.
3 Reasons You’re Ready to Purchase a Property
You’ve already done a fair bit of moving around
If you’ve already moved around a little bit over the years, you’ll have had the chance to live in different places and in different kind of properties which can really help you to understand what you want (and what you don’t!) from a permanent home. It’s easy to think living by a noisy road won’t bother you, that a downstairs bathroom won’t be a problem or that a smaller property would be fine as you could easily downsize your stuff. It’s only when you live in these situations and experience them for yourself that you realize, actually- this is more of an issue than I thought! When you’re buying a house you’re in it for the long run, you can’t just move out after six months like when you’re renting and so it’s useful to know what your deal breakers are when it comes to property.
Living in a few different homes before making that investment, from tiny apartments to questionable shared student properties can all help you to work this out! While of course it’s not essential to have lived anywhere else before buying, it can definitely be helpful.
You have a settled job
Work is an important part of any of our lives. There’s more to life than work, but it’s having a job that allows us to finance what we want and need. We have to make sure we can get there on a number of days each week, and so it makes sense to purchase a house which is near your work or close to public transport links if you commute to a large city. Waiting until you have a settled job before buying a house makes sense, not only do you have the security of knowing you can definitely afford your mortgage long term (use a house loan calculator to see what you can afford), but you’re also able to choose a location that’s close to your work.
If you know you’re going to be working there for the foreseeable future, you won’t end up in a position where you’ve purchased a property in a place that makes getting to and from work each day a stressful process.
You have an idea of what your future looks like
No one really knows what the future is going to be like, but we can make educated guesses and plans. Having an idea of what you’re going to be doing in a few years can help you to make the best choices when it comes to your property. For example, if you know you definitely want to have children within a few years then buying a one bedroom apartment with lots of stairs leading up to it probably won’t be the best decision.
If you know you want to run a home based business or work from home then a property with a space to set this up should be a priority.
If you know that you’ll want to entertain lots of friends with parties and get togethers then a home that works well for this (or something that you can renovate to fit your lifestyle) would need to be on the cards. Having an idea of what your life is likely to look like helps you to choose a home that suits you.
If you’re in a position to buy a home young, not having done any of the above then that’s fine- it’s still an incredible achievement and you’ll more than likely make it work! However, having a bit of experience and waiting until you have a settled life is certainly no bad thing. If you don’t want to lose money with fees and go through the hassle of moving and changing mortgages and things over, making sure you pick the right house initially is the way to go.
Kori
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