We are excited to share another home buyer insider story. Emily had a great experience purchasing her first home even during a global pandemic. She wants to share her story in hopes that it will inspire others to become homeowners too
Emily grew up in Wisconsin and had been living in Minneapolis for the last 15 years. Her brother and sister-in-law lived in the Madison area and were expecting another child. Emily knew she wanted to be closer to them, thus her home buying process began.
Emily’s brother had really enjoyed working with his Realtor, April Johnson, when he bought his house so he quickly connected Emily to April. “I didn’t talk with any other agents. I trusted my brother when he said April was great to work with,” said Emily.
It was July 2020 and Emily didn’t know what she was looking for in a home. Having April as an agent made the process a breeze. Emily decided wanted a three bedrooms house to have a guest room and an office/art studio. She also wanted the home to have some character, a nice yard, and a neighborhood where she could go running.
In mid August, Emily started touring houses. Emily was glad that her brother could go along on tours because he always looked at the basement and foundation first to make sure the houses were in good shape.
April was also a huge asset with her background in horticulture. She could tell the types of trees and if they’d have to be cut down in the coming years or not. April also was able to point out potential issues based on her years of experience with home inspections, negotiations, and contractor meetings.
Emily toured six homes before she found her dream home. It was a Friday when the house came on the market. April was leaving for vacation that weekend, and Emily didn’t want to bother her. April was actually the one to reach out to Emily! They toured it that day and wrote an offer. Emily didn’t believe in love at first sight, but after seeing that house, she knew it was the one.
Later that weekend, while canoeing with her brother and his family, Emily got the celebratory text from April that she got the house. “It was a moment I’ll never forget. I still have the screenshot of the text!”
In October 2020, Emily moved into her new home and got a lovely surprise from the seller. The seller, had left a bag of treats with a list of names of the neighbors and their dogs for Emily. “It was a great way to meet the neighbors!” The seller also sent Emily her first piece of mail and offered her furniture that didn’t fit in her new place.
There were a few aspects of the home buying process that Emily wasn’t aware of. One of those being all the contingencies. April was very helpful in explaining what they all were and if they were needed or not.
Emily’s advice for people who want to buy is “don’t feel like you have to jump on something right away.” She believes that if you don’t love the house, why spend the money on it. You should wait to buy a house that you will want to live in for years. Emily also suggests buyers should be flexible with the move-in day if they can.
The home buying process isn’t always easy, but Emily’s story shows that with the right support, it can be. She absolutely LOVES her house and all that it has to offer. She wouldn’t trade it for anything.
It can be hard to become a homeowner, especially if you’re young or don’t know anybody that has done it. We want to share our past clients Ellen and Mel’s story on buying two homes. If you are thinking about buying a home, stories from real homeowners can be helpful and informative.
Ellen and Mel have been homeowners since 2012. They lived in their first home, a three bedroom, one bathroom 1.5 story home, for eight years. In 2020, they sold that house to buy something bigger; a four bedroom with three bathrooms - it was a big upgrade. Now they are on the search for an investment property too.
When they first started thinking about homeownership in 2012...