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From time to time I’ve talked about different ways to help protect yourself and your family. We've covered everything from phishing scams and online fraud, to holiday travel and sending kids off to school.
Protecting our families is one of our primary responsibilities as moms and dads. Earlier this month I posted 5 Tips for Helping to Protect Yourself When Buying a Home.
As the days went by, I kept thinking of more and more things to consider in order to help protect yourself during the process, so I just had to do another post. I am not a real estate expert, nor do I claim to be, these are just a few things I found helpful in my own personal experience.
When looking for a home:
Don’t go alone.
Four or more eyes are better than two. Be selective about who you choose, but a cool headed, objective type can be very useful.
If you have friends who are contractors or engineers or maybe even contractors with engineering backgrounds, see if you can take them with you. They may see things you never dreamed of considering.
Send kids to the grandparents
Depending on their age, of course, but looking at a property when your attention is divided between it and making sure the kids aren't sliding down the railing or hanging off the balcony is hard.
You want to give your search your undivided attention.
Location….
Look at the map. When we bought our home, we talked to a lot of people in town about which were the best schools. We looked online, too. By overlaying the best elementary school district boundaries, with the best junior high's boundaries, and finally with the boundaries of one of the best high schools, there were actually a few streets that fell into all three.
Plus, there was a nearby hospital and plenty of shopping very close. So we started our search on those streets and found the perfect first home in our price range.
Don’t fall in love, yet
No matter how wonderful a property may seem, try to keep as objective about it as you possibly can. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you will never find anything like it.
You will almost certainly pay more than you should have, or would have, if you become infatuated with a property.
Get ready for some shredding
When cleaning out your old house, you are going to uncover a lot of old papers with personal information in them. Resist the temptation to just throw it all in the trash. Shred them!
(Bonus tip) Before moving, make a list of the regular mail you receive.
Ensure that when you move, all those businesses you have a relationship with have your updated address, and use the list to help make sure everything is being forwarded to you.
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