Your mom wants you to live next door. Your nosy aunt’s advice is ‘buy the worst house in the best neighborhood’. Your instinct is telling you to go for a house at the very bottom of your budget, even if you don’t love it. With so much advice spinning around you at all times, telling you what to do and where to go, it’s easy to feel like home buying is less about finding your perfect fit and more about appeasing conflicting desires. You want to save money, but also have a spacious home? Don’t think you have a hopeless task in front of you. There’s a secret to home buying, and we’re here to tell you what it is.
Purchasing a home is a huge step in any adult’s life, but it doesn’t need to be the biggest undertaking you ever have. With so many gorgeous properties on the market all across the Las Vegas Valley, finding the right one simply takes a little patience. You want to get all the research out of the way first, such as by being pre-approved and knowing what neighborhood has the best schools for your little ones. But, no matter how much research you do, you might forget to go after what you really need. The simple secret to home buying is this: you’re looking for a home that appreciates, as much as it appreciates you.
Brand new tract homes are pretty to look at, and certainly come with the best amenities, but there’s a certain charm to looking for a slightly older home. No, we aren’t suggesting you get a dilapidated shack – but why not consider a 10 year old home that’s priced lower because of an unattractive carpet color? You should obviously buy a home that you personally want to live in, and not view it as an investment. Looking at an abode as purely something to keep wrapped neatly in a plastic sheet with no smudges on any counters or scratches on the floor could mean you neglect actually living life to the fullest, which no one wants. Being careful during the purchasing process to choose a property that will naturally appreciate over time will minimize this ‘keep it preserved’ mentality and lead to the greatest satisfaction.
The key to buying a home that appreciates in value as much as you appreciate it is to look for a reasonable purchase. You’ll want to stick to the REALTOR®’s love of location as your primary focus, as even a mansion lowers in value if it’s surrounded by undesirable properties. Don’t feel like you should look for the absolute lowest of the low in the highest of the high neighborhoods, as the renovations might eat up your savings and leave you scrounging for pennies. Pick a home that’s within your budget, within the neighborhood you like, and needs just a little TLC for it to shine like new shoes. If that seems like a lot to think about, just remember that you’ve got help. Your REALTOR® is an expert in searching for diamonds in, well, the diamond farms that are Henderson neighborhoods, so there will always be someone to help guide you into the perfect home.
