Well, this year has been a strange old year. The last 12 months have changed everyone priorities and made us all reevaluate what we want from life and what is important to us. Life has slowed down and feels like we are all living in groundhog day with no end in sight. I know I have started to really look at what I want in life and where I want to be. I am not a homeowner at the moment. This is for many reasons. There's the deposit needed to become a homeowner. The lack of properties where I live and The big one Where do my family want to settle. We are super lucky and we live in a house provided by my husband's job. Which is great but we want to own our own home and this is always in our mind. Hands up if you spend your life on Rightmove dreaming?
The where is another big one for us. Where we live now we have no ties. We don't have family in the area and I mostly stay out of village life. I have made some amazing friends here but I know it doesn't matter where they or I live we will stay in touch. Our family is in Devon and the distance has become very hard. I worry that if we need to get to them in an emergency it will take us 12 hours. Yes, we live that rurally in the Highlands. Two of our best friends live in the lake and two are planning a move there. We are defiantly sticking with Scotland as my husband has worked hard in police Scotland and he loves his job. I can not imagine leaving Scotland at this time.
Today I want to talk about starting the process of buying a house and what you need to start thinking about even now when you have no actual home insight but you are starting to look.
1. Money
You know that old saying money makes the world go round right? Well, it does and we cant change that. Long gone are the days of 100% mortgages and you need to know what you will need to do money-wise to get the home you want and require. I have found Mortgagecalculators.info completely invaluable in this process.
This show that with this amount depending on which type of mortgage I choose it shows my monthly payments. I am not going to pretend I am a financial blogger as I am not. I will, of course, be getting advice from a mortgage advisor when I come to really looking but I have found the mortgage calculator super helpful and so informative. This has really given me food for thought and helped me work out my finances.
Of course, there are many ways to get on the property ladder like help to buy schemes which are worth checking out in your area but one thing is very prevalent you need to have some form of deposit. So you need to start planning and working out where you can start saving money for your dream home.
2. The Where
You need to really think about where you want to live. This is really important. There is no point looking at little stone cottages in a rural village if you are a city dweller. You have to realistic with your choices. Make a list of your and your family priorities. For me I do not want to move to a city, I am a highlander and I need to be able to see mountains and hill and water of some sort to be happy. I once lived in Edinburgh and at the time it was fun but I longed for the sea and mountains. I even bought a season ticket for Edinburgh castle so I could go up there and see the water. Yes, that was how much I need the water in my life. So this is on my list. I can compromise with somethings but being rural is not one of them. No matter how many times I think I would love a Nandos.
3. The What
What do you really need in a house. There is no point in making unrealistic plans. Money is tight and you need to have a realistic view of your needs. For us, we can live with two bedrooms but three would be awesome. There is only my husband, me and our dogs to consider. On that note, we need a garden. This is mandatory. My dogs are my family and I will always put their happiness first. They unfortunately only have short lives and I will make them as happy and perfect as I can. Call me a crazy dog woman all you want this is how I live my life.
4. The Why
This one might seem strange but this is where I want you to really question your choices and really think about your list and your requirements. If you have little niggles now they can snowball into big problems. For example, you have a little deposit at the moment and you are looking at a cheaper home in a less than ideal location just because you want to be on the property ladder. You need to really think about what you are doing. It is a lot harder than you think to move house or put up and shut up with something you are not happy with. You can always save for a bit longer and wait for your ideal home to become available.
Question everything. Make sure you are really happy with your choice. Get advice from more than one place. Ask people about their opinions. Knowledge is key in this situation. You can get advice from places like Citizens advice too so dont be afraid to get help if you are unsure about anything.
Also, be prepared to let downs. From finding your dream home and being outbid to moving in and finding your neighbours are unfriendly to not getting the broadband speed you are used to hiccups happen and they are completely normal. It is ok to feel your emotions when making huge life choices and it can get super emotional with highs and lows. So just bear that in mind.
I hope you have enjoyed this little post.
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