Illustration (Image courtesy of renjith krishnan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
Jakarta – Owning your own home in Depok can be very rewarding. Home ownership has proven to be a prominent way to build one’s wealth, apart from being a way to create wonderful memories with family and friends. Of course, there’s a lot that goes into buying one’s first house. If you will soon be a first-time homeowner, preparation is key when finding a house that suits your needs.
Jakarta – Owning your own home in Depok can be very rewarding. Home ownership has proven to be a prominent way to build one’s wealth, apart from being a way to create wonderful memories with family and friends. Of course, there’s a lot that goes into buying one’s first house. If you will soon be a first-time homeowner, preparation is key when finding a house that suits your needs.
The first step you should take is to create a checklist of all the qualities you expect in a house. This action sets the foundation for the home buying process by encouraging you to assess your needs as well as your wants, according to Fox Business. Your checklist should include must-haves, nice-to-haves, and other necessities, for a well-rounded outline. Once you have a comprehensive list put together, print it out and take it with you on trips to view different houses on the market. When going through each house, you can check off every note you made that applies to the house’s overall quality.
Take Care to Budget Before You Buy
Ensuring that you set up a budget which allows you to purchase a house within your means is crucial. Although it can be tempting to settle for a highly expensive house that has the kind of beauty and comfort you are looking for yet is not what you can afford, it’s best to settle for something less attractive-looking, which you have the financial capacity to get.
According to Fox Business, you should thoroughly determine all expenses for the kind of house you want and the area you prefer for it to be located in. Avoid limiting yourself to only focusing on the principal, interest, taxes, and insurance when budgeting. Expand your budget to include things like cost of utilities, cost of commuting, and potential upgrades to the house. Figure out whether or not you can still purchase a house of your interest after including those considerations into your budget.
According to Fox Business, you should thoroughly determine all expenses for the kind of house you want and the area you prefer for it to be located in. Avoid limiting yourself to only focusing on the principal, interest, taxes, and insurance when budgeting. Expand your budget to include things like cost of utilities, cost of commuting, and potential upgrades to the house. Figure out whether or not you can still purchase a house of your interest after including those considerations into your budget.
Also, be sure to do enough research on all your options for funding, including grants and mortgage loans. You may be pleasantly surprised to find out the large amount of financial support you can get based on your profession as well as the area of a house you’re interested in buying.
Remember… Quality Over Quantity
The quality of a house is surely more important than the quantity of it. A professional and trustworthy real estate agent can help you navigate through the process of buying your first home in a worthwhile fashion. That experience includes making an offer on a house, getting your hands on a mortgage loan, and dealing with legal documents, according to Investopedia. One legal document you should be aware of is a homeowner’s contract. Ask for a copy when attending an open house. Make sure you thoroughly read the contract to understand all of the terms and conditions that apply to a house of your desire. If that activity becomes too difficult to do on your own, ask your real estate agent for assistance or even a mortgage broker. If they don’t property explain all the details you are concerned about within the contract, then fire them and find someone else who is able and willing to do their part.
Other aspects you should consider are the neighborhood demographics of a house you’re looking at. Neighborhood demographics are concerned with what kind of people are part of the neighborhood, the crime and safety level of the neighborhood, and the cleanliness of the neighborhood, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask questions regarding these things at open houses.
Who comprises the neighborhood the most: young adults or the elderly? How many good grade schools are close by for your children? Does this neighborhood have a high or low crime rate? Are there any wild animals that roam near this neighborhood? According to The Jakarta Post, West Java province of Depok is a substantially urban setting, so you should keep that in mind during your search.
Here is another tip: don’t buy a house based on how well it is staged. In other words, don’t let the way a house is decorated for presentation to potential buyers be the biggest reason why you make your decision to purchase the house or not. A house may be nicely set up when you first view it at an open house, but it may require remodeling after purchasing it in order to achieve the look you were presented with. On the other hand, you should focus on the layout and structure of a house instead of the wallpaper and paint job, for example. This is a very important consideration to make when searching for cheap houses in Depok by using sites like Rumah.
Make Long-Term Considerations
Landing your first home is a challenging matter, but keeping your home is even more challenging. Being mindful of long-term maintenance is necessary, even before you buy a house. One thing that can help significantly is starting an emergency fund for your house. Make an effort to put away as much money as you reasonably can to fund unexpected expenses related to home improvements. Remember to perform regular check ups in and around your home for any problematic occurrences, too.
Simplifying the home buying process as much as possible is a valuable thing to do, especially for first-timers. These tips should help you begin an awesome living experience in Depok.
Posted
On 04 Dec 2015 by
: Global Indonesian Voices
