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April 21, 2015Buying a home with your spouse or significant other is a big deal. This should be a time full of fun and excitement, where you get to dream about the future and buy a home to settle into together. However, there are also many important decisions that have to be made that should not be taken lightly.
Following are some things for the two of you to consider during this process…
Get Your Finances in Line
Even though we often hate talking about it, there is no avoiding the fact that money plays a very significant role in the home buying process. Sit down together, and make sure you and your spouse are both fully aware of your financial situation. You both need to get up-to-date credit reports, and you can work together to improve your credit profiles.
Additionally, you need to have conversations about how much monthly income each of you are willing to put toward a mortgage. What you can afford and what you are comfortable spending may be two different things. That is perfectly fine, as long as you both are on the same page about where your money is going. Combining finances can make things tricky for some couples, so understanding and an open line of communication is very important.
Know What You Want
When two different people are looking for a home, it is almost inevitable that they will want slightly (or maybe even completely) different things. Do you want to live in the city or the suburbs? Are you looking for a fixer-upper or move-in ready property? Do you value the size of the house or the quality of the finishes more?
Have a nice talk about what each of you are looking for, and make your best attempt to get on the same page. You can always change your criteria later, but the home browsing process will be more enjoyable if you have a vision of where you both see yourselves ending up together.
With a lot of communication, a little cooperation and help from an experienced real estate agent, buying your first home can be an easy and enjoyable process.
The team at Henderson Properties is prepared, willing to listen and ready to communicate with all of our clients about their needs. Contact us today!
Shelly Henderson
Shelly calls herself a “Charlottean” because her family has been there since her elementary school days. She serves as Henderson Properties’ co-founder, along with her husband Phil, managing the day-to-day operations, social media branding and leadership development. Her different life experiences, both positive and challenging, earned the title to her first book Starting From Scratch. Shelly has a servant’s heart and leads her company with purpose and passion. She is mom to two sons who continue as young adults to make her heart swell.