The Students Become The Teacher – Lessons Learned
I have had the pleasure of co-teaching a First Time Homebuyer class at Portland Community College over the last 6 plus years with my good friends, David Axness and Ryan Kofman. There is just something terrifying and exhilarating about going back to school, standing in the front of the classroom, and sharing your experiences with a group of anxious “soon-to-be” homebuyers. We get a great response each time we teach the class and that fuels our excitement for upcoming classes. As good as the class may be, I think there can be even more value when former students share their “lessons learned” after successfully navigating through their own homeownership journey. Recently I asked some of my former students/clients to share their thoughts with tomorrow’s homebuyers. Here is a sample of what they had to say:
What is one thing you wish you would have done differently when you look back at your first home purchase experience?
Ashley said, “I recently purchased my first home at the end of 2009. We have been living in our new home for about a month. I do not have previous experience to compare to, however I feel I made a very sound business investment by purchasing our home at this time when the market is in a downturn. Making sure you have a realtor who is working in your best interest is really important to finding an affordable home that works for your lifestyle. The realtor we used was very knowledgeable about the market and understood what we were looking for. I don’t believe we would be homeowners without all the hard work our realtor put into making sure we found our perfect home.
Sandra said, “Look closer at how my new development was developed and whether the conditions of approval to build it had been adhered to. An example is large mature trees that were intended to be saved should have been protected much better when they graded for initial site development and built the homes. The rules were not followed very closely by the developer, the City didn’t enforce very well, and the owners (for trees on private lots and trees on HOA property) got stuck with trees that later died and were very expensive to have removed.”
What tip/advice would you give to someone who is looking at buying their first home?
Ashley said, “Identify qualities of a home you can and cannot live without, how long you plan on living in the home, the degree of upgrades you want to tackle, and the amount of time and money allotted for projects. Work with a realtor that understands what you are looking for and who has your best interest at heart. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!!!”
