E163: Let’s Hear From Another REAL Home Buyer: Amber’s Story

As first-time home buyers, it’s important to talk to folks who have already gone through the process. David Sidoni knows the value of listening to those who have gone before, which is why he decided to take a break from talking and hand the mic over to How-to-Buy a Homie Amber.

Amber was living in NYC, but when the pandemic hit, she knew it was time to buy her first home. After a lot of number crunching, she finally purchased her first home in the D.C. area.  Check out her biggest takeaways and considerations throughout the process.

Here are some topics from today’s discussion:

• What Amber learned when buying a home
• How rising rent prices convinced her it was time to pay a mortgage
• The importance of researching and comparing neighborhoods
• Planning ahead when buying a home

Episode Highlights:

[01:03] In The Beginning

Amber loved NYC, but rising rent prices during the pandemic made her reconsider. After spending time looking around and even moving to another apartment in New Jersey, she finally decided that she wanted D.C. to be her home. Once she got in touch with a unicorn team and lender and then the rest is history.

[19:21] Know Your Neighborhood

Before moving to D.C., Amber jumped ahead and decided she would do some research on the area’s neighborhoods. This gave her a great advantage because she was able to find out exactly what she needed. She looked at prices, distances, ratings, even the speed at which homes were selling in order to make an informed decision about her purchase.

[24:57] Buy With the Future in Mind

When deciding on her next step, Amber needed to consider where she would be in 3-10 years. While living close to downtown’s bustling businesses might sound appealing to her now, it may not be as appealing to her in a few years. Since Amber was in for the long haul, she opted for a quieter neighborhood with more room so she could grow.