Buying a House in Your 20s: What to Expect

When we found out we were moving to Colorado, we were given a quick turnaround so initially, we planned on renting. Believe it or not (believe it), Northern Colorado rentals are hard to find and we couldn’t quite find what we were looking for. In another quick turn of events, we decided pretty much last minute to buy. While nothing can really prepare you for the home buying *experience*, having a good relationship with your realtor and bank can go a long way, so make sure you pick wisely! Here are a few other things to consider before jumping in with both feet:

Expect to do a lot of homework

Before you even start looking, you should evaluate your income, lifestyle and savings. This will help you calculate how much you can afford. Don’t overspend! While it can be tempting to buy a flashier, updated home try and consider what you actually need. 3 bedrooms is a lot for 2 people. but we knew we wanted a fenced yard for sure so we didn’t have to take Pokey out ourselves on a leash when there are 3+ feet of snow on the ground. It’s also important to know where you want to live, your commute and access to necessary amenities should factor into this. Yes, desireable areas are a little pricier but you save time and money in the long run.

Prepare to be overwhelmed

When you switch to the “buying” mindset, everything changes. Cue the overwhelm. You put more thought into amenities and location, warranties, maintenance etc. because in a year you can’t just hand the keys over and find another rental. So when making our list, Matt and I were aiming to find something with a short commute to the office for him, a safe and convenient location and updated amenities. Originally I was looking for an older fixer-upper with character (I’ve watched too much HGTV) but after lots of discussion with our parents and other home buyers, we decided to go with a house in a newer subdivision with warranties still on all the appliances (thank g). Another thing to remember about buying — you’re 100% responsible if something breaks. 😅

Expect things to go wrong — but just go with it

The house was perfect and passed inspection no problem (I know this isn’t always the case so you should always pay extra to have it inspected and Radon tested!) but the financial/buying part was a nightmare. Since I had just changed my name and had two different jobs and moved within one-year I was red-flagged by pretty much every financial and background check system. Thankfully we had an amazing realtor, financial advisor and lots and lots of alcohol to get us through this. Now that we’re pre-qualified, here’s to hoping round 2 goes better! In the meantime, I’ll continue to suffer from PTSD.

I hope this was helpful and not too scary! Trust me, if I can do this, I believe 100% that you can! We are so blessed to be homeowners, and we definitely appreciate it more now that everything worked out! I hope this was more helpful than scary.

Best of luck! Xx Caroline

P.S. if you need a good NOCO realtor, you’ll love Amy Rushing!