too long, or they’ve fallen in love with a home that almost meets their criteria. Remember that list of needs and wants you carefully thought about, prepared, and wrote out back in Chapter 4? I mentioned that while you’ll likely need to make certain concessions on some of your wants (a ft er all, no home is 100% perfect), you should never compromise on your needs. You wrote them down for a reason! For example, a concession you can make is letting go of your dream of a living room fir eplace, but then not compromising on the number of bedrooms you will need for your growing family. If a three-bedroom home is a need, don’t settle for a two-bedroom home and just assume “it will work out.” On the other hand, though, think realistically and creatively. Let’s say one of your needs is a home with neutral colors because you won’t be able to a ff ord immediate renovations or even small touch-ups, like paint. Don’t say “no” to an otherwise great home that meets your other criteria and that you can a ff ord. It might be worthwhile to live in such a home with wall colors you hate, just temporarily, until you have the money and time to repaint. Such a small physical imperfection can easily be remedied, so don’t let it cloud your judgment. Mistake #4: Relying Solely on Online Services In today’s digital age, real estate information, services, and transactions are available and done online. You can use mortgage calculators, apply for loans online, look up and view properties, research real estate agents available in your area, fin d out more information behind the properties and agents, etc. (like property conditions, recent home sales, number of years in the business). Many fir st-time buyers make the mistake of relying solely on 64
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