Many people spend months or even years looking to buy their dream home but for us, it took one day!
My husband and I had always planned to look for a house once I moved to the United States however, as first-time buyers, there were lots to think about and plan for. My husband’s parents are experienced at buying homes and therefore, had a lot of advice to give to my husband. I, on the other hand, didn’t have a scooby-doo.
Our main priority when buying a home was safety.
Living in a nice neighbourhood is very important, as it is for everyone but for us, we are very particular.
Having just moved to Colorado, I had no idea which areas were good.
Colorado is very different from jolly ol’ England, you can tell when you’re in a very nice neighbourhood when you see green grass. This is the American plains; nothing can grow here without intervention and so, the fields here are mostly brown in colour. So, when you come across some green grass, you know people pay HOA (Home-owners Association) fees to have sprinklers. Which by the way – what a waste of water, just to make the place look desirable but hey, it works right?
We had a basic idea of where we might want to move to but whether we could find a home within our price range was a whole other issue.
My in-laws decided to take me out on a drive around some of the areas, just to get a feel. There was one particular area I really liked but honestly, we probably wouldn’t able to afford the huge houses there, by my goodness, they were so nice!
My in-laws showed me so many different types of homes; town-homes, single-family homes (detached houses), apartments, etc.
I knew my husband wanted a detached single-family home, but would we be able to find one that we could afford? It wasn’t looking likely.
We then drove out to another area because my mother-in-law knew some communities where new homes were being built. One area in particular still had a few open show homes.
I didn’t expect to be looking at houses during this day, but here we were.
I stepped into the first house and was taken back. The house felt like home, it was such an overwhelming feeling. It was a beautiful 3-bedroom detached single-family home with 2.5 bathrooms (2 bathrooms and a toilet downstairs). Every bedroom had a walk-in closet, but the master bedroom had the biggest and just by that, I was sold!
I kept imagining my teenage self, and how I used to watch MTV’s Cribs, and would always be in awe of the walk-in closets! I then thought about my children and how lucky they would be to live in this house.
“Those little brats don’t know how lucky they are,” I thought to myself, then realised that I don’t actually have any kids and that I sound exactly like my mum. Scary thought (sorry Mum).
The master bedroom also has its own bathroom with an amazing shower! The kitchen and living area are open plan and oh my gosh, there was even an Island in the kitchen! Did I mention that all three bedrooms have walk-in closets?!
I looked at other show homes in the same area, but they didn’t have the same vibe as the first one I looked at.
When we got home, I ran upstairs to my husband and showed him the video I made of the first house – he loved it. He then got dressed and we drove back to the show house so that he could take a look inside for himself and get the feeling. He had the exact same feelings that I had; we both loved the house.
However, as I said, this was a show house, and there were no more in this community available to buy. Until the builders informed us that they are building a brand-new community not far from the current, with the same house designs. They told us it would take roughly 6 months to build from the sale date.
We were in!
We looked around the area that this new community would be built in, and let’s just say, the grass was green, very very green.
The next couple of weeks were very stressful. As the builders were still in the selling stages, they were releasing plots every week for people to buy, but every week the value of the plot would go up by $2000. We had a particular plot we wanted our house to be built on, but that plot wasn't released for sale yet. So, there was a lot of uncertainty about whether we would get it at a price we could afford. However, we got very lucky and the plot was released quite quickly, meaning the price didn’t go up too much!
We found an estate-agent (realtor) who so far, has been extremely knowledgeable and helpful. He has gone above and beyond for us! He came with us to have a meeting with the builders so that we could customise our house. Yes, you read that correctly, we have chosen the cabinet designs, colours, flooring, etc. The original show home didn’t come with a basement which, for an American home, is very strange. However, we opted for them to build a basement because this adds to the selling value of the property. See? We're learning! Our estate-agent advised us on what was needed and what we could get for cheaper elsewhere. This is great because as first-time buyers, we need to save on as much as we can.
Then before we knew it, we put down a deposit and had officially bought our first home. Which we know we are very fortunate to do as a newly married millennial couple in their late-20's. My husband has been working so hard, advancing rapidly in his career to be able to give us this life.
So, what’s happening now?
Well, there have been a few setbacks with the building which are out of anyone’s control (they need the city’s permission to fix a water pipe issue) but our home should be built around April 2021. Which is great because it gives us time to save and prepare.
As our house isn’t finished yet, it’s hard to believe that we have bought a brand new home but once it’s built, it will probably hit us like a ton of bricks – hopefully not from our house.
I will keep this blog updated with the whole moving process!
Thanks for reading,
Kerry!
Due to privacy reasons, I cannot post a picture of the house but just know that it is very cute and stylish!