If you have dogs or cats, this house will be their new home, too! Keep them in mind when you are looking at a potential neighborhood to live in. How easy or difficult would it be to walk your dog in the morning? If you don’t have a backyard, is there a dog park nearby for them to run around? Depending on how seriously you take your furry friend’s well-being, it may narrow down the options of where you can live.
Before you jump into the huge responsibility of buying a house, ask yourself if you are truly prepared for the worst case scenario. Do you have enough money saved to continue paying the mortgage if you lose your job for a couple months, or you need to have a surgery? What if you get a divorce? These are not nice things to think about, but it is better to have a game plan than to be caught off-guard. Too many people lost their homes in the 2008 recession because they were not prepared for the worst. It’s not good to dwell on the dreaded “what if”, but by preparing for anything, you can stay calm and enjoy your new home to the very fullest. Good luck!