When you’re living in a house without children, you take certain things for granted. No food in the fridge? Chinese takeout or pizza it is! Have a sharp corner on a table or counter? Just avoid it (or swear at yourself when you stub a toe, your choice)! When you find out you’re going to have a baby, everything changes. You have to start planning for things like nutritious meals and safety precautions. Your perspective starts changing as well. Instead of loving your downtown apartment where you could walk to all the great bars and clubs, you might be thinking that a home in the suburbs is more your style. Maybe you want a backyard for your kids to grow up in or sidewalks where they can ride their bikes.
It might seem strange, if not completely insane, to make the choice to buy a home when you have a baby on the way, but it can actually be the perfect time. While you should not buy a home before you are ready (if you’re not sure, check out this article ) if you are ready financially, pregnancy could be the perfect time to buy a house!
The Push You Need
It can be hard to find a house that is right for you. It can be very easy to decide to wait until the holidays are over, then wait until winter is over, then wait until you’re done with this-or-that, then wait until…whatever comes next. Knowing that you have big life changes (and new real estate needs!) could be exactly the push you’ve needed to spring into action.
No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk (or lost houses)
Assuming you’re looking to buy a home from someone you don’t know, you’ve got to be ready to act in this hot market. Inventory of available homes is low and homes within certain price ranges are flying off the market at incredible speeds. If you’ve got a high budget for your area, you’ll probably have a bit more time to scoop up a property you like, but if you’re in a hyper-competitive market you may need to be ready to see a property on a whim. This can be difficult to impossible when dealing with the napping, feeding, and changing schedule of a baby so being able to do this before baby comes could be your best option.
Use Nesting to Your Advantage
Imagine having to clean your home to a spotless finish, deep clean a new home to make it “yours” and decorate a room for baby. Now imagine doing this with an almost-superhuman sense of smell and attention to detail. Welcome to nesting. Nesting can show itself in a variety of forms, from decorating a nursery to cleaning the kitchen with a toothbrush, and if you choose to move during this time it can be a godsend. Where you normally wouldn’t think twice about what’s behind the oven, how much dust is on the inside of the light fixtures or if a color “soothes” you, the nesting urge will help boost your desire to clean and decorate.
[Physical and Emotional] Labor of Love
While it might seem like it makes more sense to wait until you’re physically recovered from childbirth to move so you’re able to help in ways you can’t while pregnant, that might take longer than you think. Having a baby takes a huge physical toll on a female body and a huge mental toll on both partners. It could take weeks, if not longer to heal from the physical act of giving birth and then you’ll be working with the challenges of new sleep schedules and routines as well as all the needs of a newborn. This could push back your plans even more, so it might be a good choice to home shop while it’s still just the two of you.
[Physical] Labor of Love Part 2
No one likes to move. Few people like to pay for services they can do themselves, but baby bumps and heavy lifting do not mix. If you were on the fence about calling in friends or a moving company to help, this can be your deciding factor. You’ll get to move without having to move.
Saving Your Bottomline
Depending where you live and what your financial situation looks like, you could save money by purchasing a home. While this isn’t possible for every person in every real estate market, oftentimes mortgages are comparable, if not less expensive, than paying rent. Homeownership comes with the added bonus of building equity which helps you to get more money for your house when you sell than you paid for it. Babies are expensive. Saving money by reducing your cost for housing might be exactly the right thing for you.
New Priorities = New Home
Even if you already own a home, being a parent will change your preferences, priorities, and requirements. While in your childless days you might have enjoyed living in an interesting, multi-level home with a narrow spiral staircase, as a parent that same design will make you a nervous wreck. Can you block the stairs so a newly crawling baby won’t fall? Is the master suite on the same level as the nursery or will you have to navigate the stairs (while half asleep) to comfort a crying infant? What about school district? Daycare? Your new priorities will shape your preferences on what kind of house you need and where it should be located.
Whether you’re expecting or not, you can find your next home on the RealtyHive marketplace. Find your new home by searching here