Whether you’re in the market for your first home or your fifth, there are several lessons you can learn from homebuyers before you to help make the process smoother. For one thing, choose your neighbors carefully. Just because you’ve had good luck with neighbors in the past, doesn’t mean you always will. Before you buy a home try to meet the neighbors. Ask around to see if anybody has animals that cause issues, loud parties, or constant traffic. The neighbors can be an excellent source of information about the home, history, and most importantly each other and habits of the neighborhood. Secondly, do not underestimate the unexpected costs of homeownership that creep up. Spending all of your cash on a down-payment can seem like a good plan, but depleting your emergency fund before you even move in is a terrible mistake, especially since upkeep and maintenance costs never stop. The best way to prepare for those costs is to keep a reasonable amount of money stowed away in your emergency fund while using the rest for your down-payment.
Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County? Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you –302-644-2266.