First Home Style

Over the last several years, I have attended a ton of open houses and house tours here in Brooklyn. I have noticed that a lot of the potential homebuyers are single and female like myself.   Because this homebuying process has been so competitive I have never really surveyed the competition to find out why they chose to buy a home alone. For me, I have always wanted to own something whether I was married or single. I have always had a strong desire to decorate my own home, just how I want without the approval from a parent, a roommate or a landlord.   I have also been curious about female homebuying struggles such as dealing with mortgage approval, real estate agents, coop boards or just searching for a property in general. Female homebuying is not an anomaly. However, at these open houses I’m still met with these “poor dear” looks from real estate agents. Especially among male real-estate agents. I have found real estate agents as a whole to be rather aggressive. Granted...

Realtor.com So, I guess I’m really doing this now. After hemming and hawing for the last few months, I’m finally ready to begin the mortgage/home search. And what better way to start than getting pre-approved.  Last week, I spoke to a mortgage consultant and after submitting W2, pay stubs, banks statements, etc, I got pre-approved for a mortgage. The mortgage approval amount is pretty much what I expected if not too aggressive for my liking. I’d liked to find a lower priced property than the pre-approval amount.  Also, I’m not opposed to buying a property that needs a little work, I’m just not into doing any major renovation work.  I’m moving cautiously but the bottom line is, I’m once again looking at properties.  I’m really excited. I feel more comfortable, confident this time around. I'm a lot calmer. Maybe because I've been through this process before. I know what I want. I know what I need. I know where I want to be. I'm not intimidated by cost or...