How to Tackle Home Ownership on Your Own

With all the pressures and complexities of the home buying process, It’s natural to feel a little overwhelmed when buying a home,. When you’re buying a house alone — without help from a partner or family member — those feelings of anxiety can intensify. Fortunately, you have strategies for handling home ownership by yourself.

Even if you’re striking out independently, you’re not in this alone. You have resources to guide you in the right direction, and you can choose to reach out to professionals who are familiar with the intricacies of home buying. Living alone doesn’t mean you won’t have other people who can offer you advice.

With this in mind, it’s safe to feel optimistic as you move forward. Buying a home marks an exciting milestone in your life, and once you finalize the sale, you’ll feel proud of your accomplishment, and hard-pressed to remember any of the worries you may have once had.

We’ll walk you through everything you need to know, from finding the right Realtor to improving your DIY skill set. Soon, you’ll navigate the home buying process without trouble, adjust to your new role as a homeowner, and avoid some of the mistakes that others have made in the past.

Choose the Right Realtor

It’s all too easy to overlook some of the subtleties of the home buying process, so it helps to enlist the help of a professional. You need to find a Realtor with experience in the industry, someone who will guide you in the proper direction and away from common pitfalls.

When you come across a Realtor who seems appealing, make sure to follow these three steps:

• Ask for the contact information of their past clients and hear what they have to say.
• Research the Realtor on review sites and through your state’s regulatory body.
• Interview them with relevant questions and voice any concerns you might have.

When you feel confident you’ve made the right choice in your Realtor, it will help you feel more confident about the rest of the process as well. Buying a house alone might feel intimidating, so it will make a huge difference to have a solid team for support.

Prepare Your Financials

Mortgage applicants who are buying a house alone depend on one salary and one credit profile to secure a loan. With this in mind, you should study the underwriting process and prepare in advance to improve your chances. It’s best to start by reviewing your credit profile and acquiring a report from a credit bureau.

You should also take steps to safeguard your income in preparation for your first monthly mortgage payment. Since single home buyers rely on one salary to pay their lender, extra protection is often smart. Specialized products like mortgage protection life insurance can help manage your mortgage payments if you’re suddenly unable to work, an important precautionary measure for buyers on a single income.

Take a Home Ownership Class

Many organizations offer homeownership classes that help people tackle buying a home by themselves. They’ll inform you of what to expect from the process, walking you through your responsibilities and obligations, plus the legalese. Some state services offer classes without any charge, so check out what’s available in your area when deciding which class to attend.

As you move forward, remember you have an abundance of resources that can assist you with home buying and home ownership. Seeking advice from experts, like in a home ownership class, can help you feel more confident about the process even when you’re going it alone.

Work on Your DIY Skills

In the months leading up to your move, work on expanding your DIY skill set. Whenever your faucet starts to leak, or your door starts to creak, you can’t pick up your phone to call your landlord. You’ll need to pick up your toolkit and fix it yourself. You’ll save a substantial amount of time and money if you can address minor problems without professional help.

Luckily, you don’t need to be a contractor to grasp some of the basics of home improvement. A plunger, a set of screwdrivers and an Internet connection can go a long way. There’s nothing like the feeling of fixing a problem all on your own, and when you’re prepared for the worst, it makes the idea of owning a home on your own less intimidating than ever.

Buying a House Alone? No Sweat

It’s common to feel a little overwhelmed when buying a home by yourself, but you’ll work past your doubts and anxieties with a little research and elbow grease. Just take things one step at a time, and soon you’ll be the master of your very own place. Plus, isn’t it cool that you could do it all by yourself?

When you’re buying a home, remember that just because you may be living alone doesn’t mean you lack a support network. If you run into trouble moving, decorating or donating, just book a Dolly to get a helping hand on your schedule. We can provide a truck and some muscle to bring home your new furniture, tackle the heavy lifting of rearranging, and even handle your moving day. Our Helpers can make home ownership easier than ever.