After watching countless episodes of House Hunters and an array of other HGTV shows I finally bought my very own house this year. And boy was it a process that watching TV did not actually prepare me for.
Let me be clear, I did not think I would know how to buy a house from watching HGTV, but I also did not know how much of the process was not shown. With episodes at only 30 minutes a piece, I knew House Hunters left some fairy important, albeit boring, parts out. After all, the fun is watching people choose a house, not seeing them fill out paperwork or make phone calls. But I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
So boring stuff aside, which let me just say – all of that was one hell of a learning experience – here’s what I do know now about buying a house:
It Takes a Team
Beyond the realtor, there are A LOT of people involved in the house buying process. These people could include a real estate attorney, inspector, surveyor, title company, homeowner’s insurance agent, and people from your mortgage company. I don’t think I ever emailed or called so many strangers in my life to accomplish one thing.
The Person Who Wants to Spend Less Than the Top of Their Budget is The Hero
House Hunters always seems to paint this person as the party pooper, and I don’t know what their finances look like, but there is nothing wrong with being fiscally responsible. In my limited experience with getting pre-approved for a mortgage, it seems like banks are still pretty willing to hand over large sums of money, doesn’t mean you have to spend it all. At the end of the day it’s their own business, but let’s not throw shade at the person who’s concerned about their budget.
Formica Countertops, White Appliances, and Laminate Floors
Each of these might as well be a cardinal sin according to HGTV programming, but guess what, they all work just fine as long as they are in good condition. I even went ahead and replaced my disintegrating formica countertop with a new formica countertop. That’s right, I doubled down on something that was not granite or quartz or marble or whatever the hell you can make counters out of these days. Why? Because it was affordable, that’s why. And my white appliances are in working order and my laminate wood flooring has fooled many.
Six Weeks After Closing… Still Unpacking
Yup yup yup. I used to see the follow-up tag scene and think what are you waiting for, get in that house! Now I laugh at my naive self. Nothing and I repeat nothing, happens on your timeline. I closed a couple of weeks ago and here’s just a few of things I am currently waiting on: furniture delivery, a price quote from the landscaper, permit for a new electrical panel, and a new faucet that I had to order online because it wasn’t in stock at my local Lowes. And I’m not even moving that far, plus it’s just me. I can’t even imagine how much more complicated the actual moving process can be when there’s a lot more to juggle.
This is all still fairy new to me so as time goes on I’m sure I’ll discover even more things that I never knew. But for all the other homeowners out there, what are the biggest things House Hunters and HGTV get right and conversely what are their biggest blind spots?
