Three Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a House in Florida

Posted by harryjason on August 7th, 2016

In 2014, nearly 70 percent of first-time home buyers were aged 34 and younger. Those numbers are expected to further grow in the coming years. 

But many first-time home buyers often get caught up in the excitement of shopping for their first home in Florida. Without the help of an experienced Gulf Breeze FL real estate agent, they usually fall into the following mistakes: 

1. Getting emotionally attached to a property

Many young homebuyers fall in love with a house. They usually imagine that a Pensacola Beach real estate property or any property in FL for that matter will be their home for many years. While it is difficult not to get emotionally attached to a property, this can be dangerous as it can set up a home buyer to spend more than what he can afford.

In order to avoid this common pitfall, you should make a list of the most important qualities you want in a Pensacola FL real estate. Do you want a home that is near schools and business centers? Do you want a property with a backyard or a home with updated bathrooms?

When you shop for a property, make sure that the house has the things that you need. This will prevent you from buying a home that isn’t really suited to your needs.

2. Failing to account other expenses

Many homebuyers usually take into account only the price of the property for sale. But buying a home has other expenses as well like homeowner’s association fees which can be as high as a few dollars per month. 

Homeowner’s insurance is another expense that you will have to deal with. Florida, in particular, has notoriously high homeowner’s insurance rates with an average of 0 a month.

3. Failing to protect themselves. Most homebuyers in Florida overlook the importance of home inspections. And even when they see a potential problem in a house, they usually dismiss it as being easy to fix.

Home inspectors can detect problems in a property, and inform buyers of these potential sources of headaches in the future, like the presence of mold in the basement or poor wall insulation.

You should know these common mistakes that Florida homebuyers make so that you can avoid them, and lead you to buying the right property in the region.