Category: Home Buying Tips

Home Buying Tips

Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: How the Pros We Worked With Are Still Helping Us

by Kyle BurbankNov 27, 2024

A few months ago, I wrote about how the professionals we choose to work with when buying our home made a huge difference and made our experience a positive one. Now, one year later, I'm somewhat surprised to say that they continue to help us out on a regular basis despite the transaction that first brought us together being well behind us. So, between that milestone and with it being...

Home Buying Tips

Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: One Year as Homeowners

by Kyle BurbankNov 13, 2024

It feels absolutely crazy to say but it's now been a full year since we closed on our house. Perhaps it doesn't feel as long since we didn't actually move in until closer to Christmas — but, either way, time has flown. Before my wife and I got married, her mother said something to her about getting to know someone in all seasons. Well, now, we've come to know our...

Home Buying Tips

Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: The Problem with Appliance Repair "Quotes"

by Kyle BurbankOct 2, 2024

When we were buying our house, one piece of advice we were given was, "Get three quotes before hiring someone for repairs." While this sounds like a lot of work, I can absolutely appreciate this tip. After all, even when you're potentially spending thousands of dollars, saving any money you can is still important. As I shared, a few months ago, our water heater broke, ultimately leading us to replace...

Home Buying Tips

Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: What Fed Rate Cuts Could Mean for Home Buyers and Owners

by Kyle BurbankSep 19, 2024

Yesterday, for the first time since 2020, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates. In fact, to the surprise of some observers, the rate was cut by half a point (as opposed to the quarter point that was widely anticipated). For many people, this update might not mean much — but, for those who have been looking to buy a home or who purchased during recent rate highs, this could be...

Home Buying Tips

Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: 5 Safety and Security Items We've Purchased for Our House

by Kyle BurbankJun 26, 2024

When you're a renter, there's a certain level of safety and security that your landlord is required to provide. So, when you become a homeowner, suddenly you're solely responsible for these important aspects of your life. And, of course, this also likely means spending more money to protect yourself. In our case, since moving in last year, we've made at least a few purchases related to keeping ourselves and our...

Home Buying Tips

Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: Our First Major Repair as Homeowners

by Kyle BurbankJun 12, 2024

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. This week, my wife and I placed a maintenance call, with the hope that it might be a small fix — but, of course, it turned out to be a worst-case scenario. The culprit causing harm to our wallets this time? Our water heater. The good news is that, through this process, we learned a few things that I think will help...

Home Buying Tips

Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: Should You Break Your Lease to Buy?

by Kyle BurbankMay 29, 2024

In a perfect world, the transition from renting to buying would be seamless — you'd find a great house to buy, close the deal, and move right into your new place. Alas, it's rarely this easy. That's because many renters are on a lease, which may heavily impact their timing when buying a home and limit their options overall. This was definitely the case for us as we still had...

Home Buying Tips

Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: Worst Time to Buy a House? There Are Always Exceptions

by Kyle BurbankMay 15, 2024

If you've been thinking about buying a house, looking at the news lately has likely disheartened you. As CNN reports, a recent Gallup poll found that 76% of Americans believe it's a bad time to buy — with only 21% saying it's a good time. There are several reasons for that sentiment, with the top two being the combination of high interest rates and high home prices. So, are you...