What House Hunters Has Taught Me About Buying A Home
January 26, 2018 Buying Real Estate,Real Estate
A few years ago I had this girlfriend who was absolutely in love with the TV show “House Hunters.” She introduced me to it and I fell in love with it right away. I don’t have any experience buying a home, so I figured they could teach me something. While I have learned a few good tips, most of what I have been taught is to do the opposite of what the people on the screen do. Let me tell you a bit more about this.
The first thing I learned from watching the show is that there is no such thing as going to the store and buying new paint. Every time someone steps into a tacky colored home, they lament about the horribleness of the matter as if they cannot possibly paint over it themselves. If I find a home that I love, I don’t care if it is painted hot pink. I am going to buy that beauty and head to the paint store.
I am not sure why, but everyone on the show is obsessed with having a huge garage. This is understandable if you actually have three or four cars to put in it, but why is this the solution to storage issues? When I move to a new place, I plan on getting rid of old mess and starting fresh. This means that every piece of paper my home has accumulated in the past 15 years does not need a place in my new garage.
A formal dining room is one of those things that so many people say they want, but is it worth not buying a home that doesn’t have one? Having family and friends over is great, so there is a reason to have one, but I don’t believe all of these people are that social. Trust me when I tell you that the demure librarian and her wallflower husband are not the party animals they are pretending to be. While I would love to host a Thanksgiving dinner at a long table, I will definitely survive if I don’t.
In TV land, it only takes three houses to find the one that you really want. Those are the only houses in the entire area, so you must settle on one. While I know some of this is staged for TV, I find the whole concept to be a bit funny. I love watching guys say: “Honey, I hated all of these, but let’s pick number two.” How about going back to the drawing board and selecting a house you will love that is more suitable to your needs.
While I attempted to be a bit lighthearted here, buying a home is a very serious process. There are many things that you need to consider before signing on the dotted line. The best advice I can give you is to take your time and consider all the pros and cons of each home. Also, make sure that you do the exact opposite of what you see on House Hunters.