10 Important Things To Keep In Mind When Buying A House After The Pandemic

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When it comes to purchasing a house after a pandemic, you might have some questions to ask. In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at ten important things to keep in mind. The Austin Real Estate market can change from time to time.

But more people are flocking to the area with new jobs being created (especially in the tech field). If you are planning on buying a house in Austin or anywhere else in the United States, these are the things that you can consider. Let’s take a look at the following.

Housing is booming

Many people were looking to buy homes prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. When things started to progress with many people staying home and keeping safe, it delayed their plans. With things slowly but surely coming back to normal, many people are picking up where they left off.

People are selling their homes and there are hungry buyers on the other end. So it would make sense to see this happen. Many people held off on buying and selling once it was safe to do so.

The same can be said across various industries and businesses.

Someone may be buying a house with an extra bedroom 

A family that normally would buy a two-bedroom home will opt to buy a house with one more and pay a bit extra for it. Sure, one reason may be a growing family.

However, many people are making the decision to work at home on a permanent basis. That’s because their company has since implemented a remote or hybrid work model. That extra bedroom can be turned into a home office that they can work out of when their schedules allow it.

Mortgage rates have continued to tumbled

The downward trend of mortgage rates started 40 years ago. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgages haven’t gone above 5 percent since 2010. However, the lower the rate, the more money you’re going to save over time.

In 2020, mortgage rates were 2.67 percent. This may have been due to the pandemic and prices were low to a point where it was easier to buy a house. At this point, you’re still in the right time frame to buy a home and pay it off in 30 years.

The supply isn’t as big as we think

Despite people putting their homes up for sale and hungry buyers swarming around, the supply is not as big as we assume. However, this was an issue long before the pandemic happened. If anything, this has been a problem since 2010.

Even though the housing market claims to be booming, the supply is not exactly where people would want it. Because of this, they may be saddled with less than ideal options. This could prolong the process for someone trying to buy a home.

3D tours are a viable option

It’s normal for people to stop by a house they are interested in buying during an open house. They get a chance to see the house in person just to see what it’s like. However, the introduction of 3D tours made it more convenient for those who were more comfortable with seeing it online than in the flesh.

We can’t blame anyone for playing it safe. If a website has the options for 3D tours of each house, it will give someone a chance to look before they buy without setting foot on the property. Some may use it to preview the home before seeing it in person anyway.

Construction on new homes hasn’t budged 

One of the reasons why there’s a shortage in supply is because more homes haven’t been built. The problem existed before the pandemic. However, due to the supply chain issues nationwide, this will only amplify it after things have returned to normal.

Because of the shortage of supplies, the housing supply won’t be able to meet the demand. According to the National Association of Homebuilders, more than two million home projects were started in 2021 alone.

Because of the shortage of raw materials, it may appear that the projects may be delayed well into 2022. Some may continue to work through the issues while others intentionally delay the completion.

Paperwork is going digital

There was a time when the buying and selling process was ongoing, there was paperwork being signed. With the ever evolving technology, things are going digital. Even signing the paperwork has become a process where all you need is a tablet or phone and a stylus pen.

This makes the process a lot easier. Not only that, many real estate offices are using less paper and are trying to go paperless to save costs while making things easy for sellers and buyers. 

Impulse buying is becoming a thing

People will look at a home and buy it without thinking twice. At some point, they’ll suffer some kind of buyer’s remorse and sell it within a short period of time. For example, a couple in Florida bought a farmhouse but found some of the responsibilities to be a bit much. 

However, they have plans to turn it into an AirBnB in the future. It’s important to think things through before purchasing a home. What are the real reasons that you are purchasing the home?

What makes it stand out? There are so many questions that you should ask before you decide on the home you’re looking at. You may have no other options, but you can take advantage of any other options that may be nearby.

Purchasing a house may not happen right off

Because of some of the other things we’ve mentioned such as the housing shortage and construction delays, it may not be the best time to purchase a house for some people. There may be a delay that can push things back to at least a year or more.

Not all hope is lost. You can keep the goal of buying a new home as your top priority. At the same time, you can make the best of a not so good situation by continuing to save up.

Know your limits

It’s important to know your limits in terms of what you are looking for in a home. This includes the size you are willing to handle, the amount of money you are looking to spend, and so on. Once again, if you don’t set personal limits on what is just right and what’s too much in your home, you may end up dealing with buyer’s remorse like some of the other homebuyers.

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