Close your eyes and imagine: a perfectly manicured lawn spreading out in front of a Spanish adobe in the Ranch. A pool in the back with a lot large enough for the kids to play baseball and to host barbecues for your friends. Or maybe it’s a cottage in Del Mar with an ocean view and little upkeep.
It’s sounds perfect, right?
Well, maybe it isn’t exactly your definition of perfect, but you likely have some kind of picture in your mind of what your dream home would look like. And in a perfect world, you can have that home.
But we don’t live in a perfect world. Unless you’re building from the ground up – and even not always then – you will probably need to make some compromises and adjust your expectations. If you want to find something that gets as close as possible to that dream home in your mind, follow these tips.
Define what you’re looking for
Go ahead and make a list of all the things it would be fantastic to have in your new home, whether that be a media room or a temperature-controlled wine cellar. That’s your “would be nice to have” list. Now make another list of things that are more important and possibly deal-breakers for you, which could include the number of bedrooms or bathrooms or a property with no road noise or must be in the Covenant or Del Mar School district…. Cover all your bases with your “must have” list and be grateful when some of the homes you view have items from your “would be nice to have” list. You can probably live without the in-home gym, but going without a garage could become problematic.
Be realistic about what you can afford
If you’re serious about buying a home, one of the first things you should do is get pre-approved for a mortgage. This will not only serve you better down the line once the closing process begins, it will also indicate what price range you should be looking at when you start your search. It is also expected to be attached to your offer. Here in San Diego, without a pre approval letter, your offer will not even be looked at by the seller/listing agent. In addition, proof of funds to close should also be attached to your written offer. If you need a mortgage broker to get this process started, let me know. I work with several excellent brokers and lenders.
Think about the location
Maybe you think it would be wonderful to have a sprawling home in Rancho Santa Fe, but you might change your mind after taking care of a big property for years. Carmel Valley or Del Mar might be the best location if you want to be close to the beach or want less upkeep. If you’re an empty nester, maybe now is the time to re discover downtown San Diego. Wonderful things are happening in our beautiful city!
Be flexible
The most important tip when it comes to finding your perfect home is to be flexible. Go into the process with a positive mindset, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what a little imagination can do to a home. That home you weren’t so sure about when you first found it online could end up being the home you’ve been dreaming about for years.
Compliments of Virtual Results
By submitting information, I am providing my express written consent to be contacted by representatives of this website through a live agent, artificial or prerecorded voice, and automated SMS text at my residential or cellular number, dialed manually or by autodialer, by email, and mail.
