Real Estate Corner: Prepping for the plunge

The decision to take the plunge into the world of real estate ownership is a big one. There are a myriad of factors at play both internally (for you) and externally (for the banks, realtors, etc.). I recently read an article about how to decide if you are ready to purchase a house with someone else (Yes, it's getting that serious). That threw in a whole slew of other factors into the complexity of this big decision. Today we're going to focus on you. Besides all of the external and financial factors, are you ready to purchase a home? Let's dig in.

The first question is about maintenance. With a rental, you're off the hook. If the water heater stops working or the washer or dryer poops out, all you need to do is make a phone call and it magically gets fixed. It's also likely that your lawn is maintained, the shrubs are trimmed and the driveway or parking lot gets plowed after every storm. And if other items are damaged outside the home such as the siding, windows, chimney or basement, they are not your responsibility either. Aside from a potential increase in your rent, you simply roll out of bed on a Saturday and hit the trails. It is someone else's responsibility to keep it all intact.