Buying a House on a Shoestring Budget
Are you looking at a residential property for sale? Buying a home is an expensive venture, but this doesn't mean that it's a preserve of the rich. You can buy a home even if you are operating on a shoestring budget; it's just that you will have to be really smart about it. Here are some measures to take as a smart person with a small budget looking for a house:
Focus on the Basic Features
Buying a house, especially for the first time, is an exciting project. Don't be surprised if you have or one of your family members has a thousand and one features you expect to have in your new home. Unfortunately, you will have to curtail some of those expectations if you are operating on a lean budget. Limit your expectations to the basic features that you know you must have in your new house, such as the number of bedrooms and square footage, and you might have to forget about luxury features like granite countertops or top-of-the-range kitchen appliances.
Be Patient
Finding the right house takes time; finding the right house on a small budget takes even more time. Therefore, give yourself enough time to look for the right house for your money. Be prepared to reject listings that lack your must-have or basic features. In the end, you might have to compromise, but you should only do so after taking your time and confirming that you can't have everything you want at your price. Remember to compromise only on things that you can live without.
Try Your Luck with Unconventional Home Sales
Unconventional home sales tend to result in relatively low prices compared to conventional home sales. Examples of unconventional property sales include foreclosures, short sales, and homes put on sale by their owners. Just ensure that the property isn't being sold at a low price due to a defect; a home inspection should help clarify if there is any defect with a property.
Look for an Atypical House
Lastly, you may also have some luck by buying a house that doesn't have the typical features that homes in that neighborhood have. For example, if homes in a certain area tend to have swimming pools, then a property in that area that doesn't have a swimming pool is likely to be cheaper than those with swimming pools. The same reasoning may apply to homes that have features that typical homeowners in the area don't like. For example, some people frown on ground-level properties or condo units close to the gate. If you have no problem with such a property, then you can save some money by buying it.