Buying a Home in Sierra Vista, Arizona
Where do you start?
Let’s do a soft pull on credit and find out what your options are for purchasing, as well as if there are some options to make adjustments and get your credit in better shape to get the best interest rate (sometimes simply paying off a credit card can change your interest rate a whole point).
Once we know what your options are, we can start narrowing down the ideal location for your home, which neighborhoods, lot size, and housing style.
I like to use my Needs & Wants Questionnaire to understand the details of your home that are important to you (this way I’ll better be able to send you homes aligned to your lifestyle.
Once you’re ready to move forward, I’ll start presenting you options that meet your criteria. Sometimes you’ll love a home, but not the kitchen, or other times you’ll like the home, but the distance may be more than you want to drive to work, while other times the location is perfect, but the home will need a remodel to be your ideal. As we sort through options we’ll begin to narrow things down and I’ll develop an even deeper understanding of your ideal home.
When we find a few homes that seem like they may be a good fit, we can explore them further. This may mean that we’ll go do a showing where we will tour a home, or, if you’re unable to be at the home (maybe because you’re not yet here in Sierra Vista), then I can do a video walkthrough of the home and send it to you. I’m an iPhone user, so I can also do FaceTime if you’re available!
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Your 3 Non-Negotiables & Must-Haves
No two people are exactly the same. This goes with houses and people’s preferences with houses. No two homes are exactly alike. When you’re searching for a new home, it’s common to have this ideal picture in your mind, how the kitchen will be, what the yard will look like, and maybe even what the neighborhood looks like and how the neighbors will greet you. While it’s helpful to have an idea of what you’re looking for, many buyers get stuck because the home isn’t exactly as they pictured; this makes sense, as we truly are all different.
Some things are easier to change than others, for example it’s easier to change a kitchen than it is to change the neighborhood; it’s eaiser to paint the bathroom than it is to change the kitchen layout. Almost invariably, there will be something with every home you look at that you won’t like, even if everything else seems to matches your needs (…and sometimes you find a home that’s beyond ideal, complete with everything you could dream of … but it’s a few hundred thousand over your price point). This can cause a bit of disappointment, especially for first-time-home-buyers, but this a normal part of the process.
The solution to working with this reality that not everything will be ideal, is to sort out your 3 non-negotiables and must-haves. Essentially you’re going to list out the qualities in your ideal home, then rank them. At a minimum you’ll want to get down to three non-negotiables.
Let me tell you about Lisa. Lisa came to me to and she’s relocating to Sierra Vista from another state. She told me she had to have mountain views, a brick home, and a safe neighborhood, where she could comfortably walk her dog. These were her nonnegotiables, however, while she’s not a big-time swimmer, she explained that the swimming pool was negotiable, while she wasn’t particularly seeking a pool, she wouldn’t mind it if the home came with one.
She wanted space, so that she could easily have a conversation with her mother on the front porch and not worry that the whole neighborhood would hear, just the same, she didn’t want to be so isolated from neighbors that she wouldn’t know who they were. This gives me a little wiggle room when looking at homes. Lisa would be happy in a series of neighborhoods in the area, but the lot sizes vary from half an acre to several acres depending on the neighborhood.
When we looked at homes together I was able to show her a variety of homes that all met her three nonnegotiables, but gave her flexibility with other qualities and locations. Sometimes it takes looking at a few homes within a searching criteria before you figure out what is most important to you.
I remember when I was younger, I lived in a beautiful home, but it was quite far from town, in fact, I was a 40-minute drive to get to a grocery store or restaurant. While I didn’t think about this when I purchased the home, it really became cumbersome driving so far to get basic goods and services. All we had was a gas station that was close if we ran out of milk or eggs.
I don’t want you to learn this the hard way, which is why I like to talk with all my buyers ahead of time, I want you to be happy with your location and distance to stores, and restaurants (because sometimes you don’t feel like cooking and it’s time to grab a burger).
Oh and sometimes you’ll change your mind on what’s most important. Many buyers think they can work with pretty much any kitchen, but then they walk into a few kitchens that have a large, walk-in pantry or a huge island. And I see their eyes light up, their mind turns at all the possbilities that come with these features, maybe they can invite their friends over to share a charcuterie board, while you catch up on life. Maybe it means you can take better advantage of the bulk buys at Costco because you have the storage for it! You might realize that the pool is sort of the main feature of most backyards that have them and you might want more space for your dog to play fetch.
All I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to change your mind, it’s okay to start looking at a few houses and ask yourself if those really are your priorities or if something is more important. Yet, the three non-negotiables are the best way to start, they give you a base to kick off from.
Inspiration for Your Nonnegotiables
Location – How far are you from your work, school, and grocery store?
Neighborhood & Lot Size – How much land do you want and how close do you want to be to neighbors?
Everyone loves having enough space, but what that means is different for each person. For example, you might really enjoy being able to say hi to your neighbors as you grab the mail, but for someone else, this feels a little claustrophobic. Let me share a few other considerations that come with lot size that people tend to overlook.
The larger the lot size, the more likely there will be wild animals, while most people don’t mind some birds, we also have things like coyotes and javalinas in many of our neighborhoods. While they usually don’t care to bother humans, they can scare smaller dogs, and the javalinas can be terrible about knocking over trashcans and eating potted flowers. Larger lot sizes can mean a little less cultivated landscaping, as there is too much land to perfectly manicure. In some instances larger lots sizes means farther from town and dirt roads, but might also mean you’ll have clearer views to the mountains or fewer sounds of traffic.
Many people find that they don’t mind smaller lots for their easier maintenance and close proximitiy to goods and services in town (and other important things, like getting pizza delivered).
Price Point & Budget – Have you spoken with a lender, do you have a price you’re approved for?
Usually the first place we recommend starting is by figuring out how much home you can afford. It doesn’t make much sense to look at a lot of homes that are outside your budget, just the same, you probably don’t want to go too low below your budget because you’ll likely be missing the features and qualities that will make the home a more aligned to your lifestyle, needs, and wants.
The process of figuring out what you can afford and getting prequalified isn’t too painful. We have lots of options for lenders and if you’d like to give me a call or send me a text, I’d be more than happy to help you figure out which lender will be a better fit for you and your situation (some lenders specialize in VA loans, some only work with site-built homes, some have first-time-home-buyer programs, while other lenders work more closely with government programs that help you save on interest or avoid hefty downpayments).
My hope is that in working with me from the start, I can make this process simple and effective, so you can focus on to more exciting things like how you’ll decorate your new home, hitting your local trails, or exploring the community and all it has to offer.
Ideal Home & Amenities – How many bedrooms & baths do you want/need?
Starting with the size home, the bedrooms, baths, and the lot size are great places to start when looking for a home. It helps us narrow down your options to homes that will be more aligned to your needs. You don’t want a lot that doesn’t have room for your dog, but you also might not want to maintain a lot of landscaping.