Your home is likely the biggest investment you’ll make in your life, which can also make it your biggest risk. While this may seem a bit scary, buying your first home should be an exciting time — in a bust-out-the-champagne sort of way, not a bust-out-the-Xanax kind of way.
If you’re in the market for your first house but feel overwhelmed, these nine quotes will give you the confidence you need to get back out there and find “the one.”
“If I were asked to name the chief benefit of the house, I should say: the house shelters daydreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace.” — Gaston Bachelard
This quote really gives a deeper meaning to the term “dream house”!
“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” — Maya Angelou
While it’s important to consider the property value and resale value when looking for your first house, don’t discount the true value of the meaning of the word “home.”
“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain
If you find the right home and don’t go for it, you’ll regret it. It’s scary thinking about a 30-year mortgage (or a 30-year anything!), but sometimes you’ve got to leave your comfort zone behind.
“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” — Steve Jobs
It can be discouraging to look at place after place and just feel, well, nothing. But don’t get discouraged. When you find it, you’ll know, and all of the house hunting will have been totally worth it.
“There wouldn’t be a sky full of stars if we were all meant to wish on the same one.” —Frances Clark
There’s nothing quite as stressful as a bidding war over what you think is the house of your dreams. Just remember that if it doesn’t happen for you, it wasn’t meant to be. You’ll find another “star” that’s shining just for you.
“Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful.” — Hazrat Inayat Khan
Sure, it’s nice to walk into a perfectly staged, move-in-ready house where the price is right. But don’t discount a place just because the carpet is worn or the faucets and fixtures are outdated. These are fairly easy fixes, not to mention bargaining chips. Use your imagination!
“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.” — The Dalai Lama
It’s not the end of the world if a deal falls through on what you thought was the “perfect” home. Once you’re settled into your new place, you won’t remember anything else about those other places. You’ll be too busy falling in love with your actual home.
“You can’t have everything you want, but you can have the things that really matter to you.” — Marissa Mayer
Searching for a home on a budget can be frustrating. Especially with a first home, you might not be able to afford to get everything you want, at least not all at once. If having the master bedroom on the main floor is a priority, make sure that happens right away — that’s something you can’t change later. But an outdated kitchen can be renovated a few years down the road after you’ve had the chance to save some money.
“Screw it, let’s do it!” — Richard Branson
Leave it to the daredevil venture capitalist to get straight to the point. Be it your first home, or in Branson’s case, going into space, sometimes you just have to go for it!
