Why It’s Important To Have A Vision When Buying A Home

When Tyler and I started home shopping, we had an idea of what we wanted and what was important to us. With our future in mind (babies, work, etc.), we wanted at least two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Okay, we wanted more but to buy an actual house in San Jose, it typically starts around $760k. Let me know to tell you; the bay area is not an easy place to find a 2/2 condo under $600k in a good neighborhood.

Looking out of town

We branched out to Aptos and found some houses around $500-$600k, but they all needed some work, and we were not looking for a major fixer upper. Maybe down the line, we would take on a project like that, but we wanted something easy and, most of all, local to our jobs for our first home.

We’ve commuted before and known that it’s not for us, and since we don’t have kids, we don’t need to sacrifice just yet lol. If we had kids and wanted to give them a big yard, their rooms maybe I would move to the suburbs or something, but it’s just us with our two cats; the burbs can wait.

Being too Picky

As a REALTOR®, I knew what I was doing, but it was all new territory as a buyer myself. I started to become super picky and finding the smallest things in a house and ruling them out. Tyler would tell me that it’s not the end of the world if a home doesn’t have EVERYTHING we want. Which again, I know this, I would tell my buyers the same. That’s when it hit me; I was not thinking logically.

We saw a beautifully remodeled townhouse, a 3/3. I wanted it so bad, but there was one problem, it was not in a great neighborhood. I did not care at first. I thought, hell with the pandemic going on; who is spending time outdoors anyway? The townhome was a wee bit over our budget that I was starting to think of ways to get the money that wouldn’t have been a good idea. One thing you don’t want to do is drain yourself when buying a home. It would be best if you had a cushion for unforeseen costs. I knew all of these things, yet I couldn’t see it at first when I was on the other side.

Having A Vision

Then OUR CONDO came on the market. Tyler’s mom knew we were looking and sent us this condo that had just come on the market. It was smaller than the townhouse and less expensive. I, honest to god, didn’t want to see it because I was so set on the townhouse. When we arrived, I noticed the beautiful neighborhood filled with mature trees lining both sides’ streets. It was so green everywhere, and people were walking their dogs, running, pushing their babies. It was seriously like a movie neighborhood where everyone looked happy and, most of all, safe.

We walked in, and I believe a single dad lived there because of the chunky furniture and sports jerseys hanging on the walls. I had to see past that and envision what COULD be, not what it is. The kitchen was an eyesore for me. I hated how green-ish it was and the old 90s appliances that were probably once in style.

I remember going home feeling so conflicted. Sure this smaller condo was in a more fantastic neighborhood, but it was a 2/2, and I liked the 3/3 (obviously for more space). We were making an offer on one of them no matter what. We wanted to get into something fast before the wedding (which didn’t end up happening) lol. Anyways, I knew what was the right choice, obviously the condo in a better, more desired neighborhood. I was ready to tell Tyler my decision, and then he texted me that he felt we should also go with the condo; clearly, great minds think alike.

Going against multiple bids that were higher than ours, I worked my magic with the listing agent, and we got our offer accepted. Yay!

Sure the condo was not remodeled, but it had good bones, and we had a vision. That’s something I always told my buyers, don’t look at what it has, look at what it could have. Envision what you could do to it to make it YOUR own. I finally saw the vision of what our home can look like, what it could be. Where I can take peaceful walks around the neighborhood, walk to get food, coffee, groceries, a haircut, and, most importantly, a freaking Target thirty seconds away.

We moved in June 28th, and almost 3-months later, our home is complete, and we couldn’t be happier. We’ve put so much time, money, and love into making this our sanctuary. This is why it’s important to have a vision when buying a home. You never know what you can create.

Customizing your home

I think I enjoyed the process of customizing things to our liking. For example, the townhouse had beautiful quartz countertops similar to ours but not as attractive. It also had subway tiles, which looked terrific, but as a Realtor®, I know trends and what could go out of style later down the line. Also, if everyone’s kitchen looks the same, your house won’t stand out either if you were to sell. So we decided to take up our countertops. You can’t go wrong with that; it’s a classy and timeless look. We bought Cafe Appliances, which I highly recommend. I saw a blogger post about them last year when she remodeled her kitchen and fell in love. Appliances are something you and all of your guests look at, so why not make them aesthetically pleasing. We also switched our hardware to black pulls and handles. Customizing everything in our kitchen made it 100x special and, in my opinion, better than the townhouse.

Happy AF

We are beyond happy and love our home so much. At times, it felt hopeless looking at many homes, but you feel it in the end. After envisioning everything, I was so excited to move in and get started. I had a vision of us with our cats hanging out, me cooking dinner for family and friends in our new beautiful kitchen. I envisioned it all, and it has happened. If there’s one thing I want you to take from this post, anything is possible if you can have an open mind. Sure, you might compromise on some things like a smaller space but never compromise your lifestyle and safety.