This is a series of posts I should have written years ago – and truthfully that I started, but never finished – but time and again I’ve wished I’ve had a narrative surrounding what it’s like to buy your first house.
Depending on your project, long distance movers may schedule pickups and deliveries of goods for a coordinated flow of materials.
Thankfully, the folks at our office in Charlottesville have gotten the ball rolling by having Sara Belkowitz (our AWESOME Brand Manager) talk about the process as she and her fiancé – referred to as “the chef” – search for their first house. Part 1 is below, and we’ll post the others as they’re available. This is written from the perspective of buying a house in Charlottesville and Central Virginia, but truthfully, it applies just about everywhere.
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If I have access to cable programming, odds are I’ll have the dial tuned to HGTV. Much to my fiancé’s chagrin, I’m on a first name basis with Genevieve Gorder, David Bromstad and Sarah Richardson. Woe be the person who tries to change the channel before I see which property the folks on House Hunters select.
Why the obsession with homes and gardens you ask? Well, we’re kicking off the process to buy our first home and I am nothing less than excited. And nervous. And, if I’m really honest, super overwhelmed.
I’m a lucky gal, though, as my fiancé is a patient and supportive fella. I’m also surrounded every day at work by some of the best Central Virginia real estate experts around. The hardest part when tackling a new endeavor is figuring out where to start. My kind coworkers have come to the rescue, and have helped me narrow down the first steps I need to be considering as we embark on this long and complicated process.
- Define our wish list
- Calculate the bottom line
- Be prepared to compromise
- Stay calm
Ok, number four is something I added in there, but it’s important that I write it out formally. You, good people of the interwebs, are now witnesses. Here and now, I am committing to approach our first home purchase with reason and rationality. I know that the process will be emotional, but I’m confident I can muster a clear head. (If the company that produces TUMS is publicly-traded, may I kindly suggest you shuffle your portfolio and invest now.)
So what can you expect from this series of blogs? I hope it will be educational, but I suspect it will also be humorous. I can hear my fiancé-and anyone who knows me for that matter-laughing now as he reads the previous paragraph. Moving on, people. Moving on.
Who are the key players? For blogging sake we’ll call my fiancé “the chef,” our Realtor “Agent B” and my wonderful coworkers shall hence-forth be referred to as “the Nest Team.”
So…let’s buy a home! My next blog will cover creating our wish list. Stay tuned to see how we narrow down our “must haves” and identify a starting point for Agent B.