Today’s message is directed toward those thinking of buying their first home—often referred to as a “starter home.” We’ll address whether you should go through with that purchase or skip it and buy your forever home right away, instead. If you’re already out house-hunting, you might be fixated on that four-bedroom, colonial-style home with a beautifully glistening pool in the backyard. But let’s think for a second: Sure, the idea of planting some permanent roots and settling into a forever home sounds good, but your lifestyle (and bank account) may beg to differ.     When you begin thinking it through, the first question to ask yourself is, “Can I afford a forever home?” It’s important to take an honest look at your financial situation and consider whether you’re willing to give up some simple pleasures, like your weekend brunches, in order to finance such a major purchase.      Next, consider whether you’re settled down enough to invest in your forever home. If you’re fairly new to your job, you have plans to move in a few years, or you’ve yet to start a family, you’ll need to seriously assess if putting down your roots is a sound decision. You also need to think about whether you know what you want in a home. Without having owned your own home before, it’s likely that your ideas about what you want may not hold true when put into practice. “It’s important to take an honest look at your financial situation.”Further to that, your preferences may change over time with regard to your home and its surroundings. After a few years, you might decide you’d rather live somewhere with a community pool or on an acreage without any neighbors nearby.  Whether you opt to move into a starter or into your forever home right away, though, you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of homeownership.  When you make that first-time purchase, your days of worrying about the struggles of renting are over. You’ll no longer have to move from one complex to the next due to rising rates, and you’ll be able to start growing equity and making memories in a home. On top of that, homeownership offers the luxury of being able to decorate however you see fit and make upgrades to your heart’s content.   So whether you need help buying your first or fifth home or with selling your current home, please give us a call at 512-843-3374 or email us at [email protected]. We look forward to serving your real estate needs, whatever they are!