What was it like your first time?

My first time I was scared, nervous, sweating, anxious, and had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I was told by everyone I was making the right decision, everyone was doing it, it was now or never.  However, I still had my doubts.

  For me, it was a scary time in my life.  I was 19, just left school, and was really "out on my own" for the first time.  Buying my first home seemed like the next thing to do.

I had done the research, so I thought!  Made the appointments to see the houses, lined up my finances, the next logical thing to do was just buy the place, right?  Little did I know it was not so easy.

Let's roll back a few years.  It was 1999 and I had just finished college.  I was running a restaurant and making tons of money.  "It should be easy to buy a house, right?"  Well, yes and no.  There were houses for sale, and many within my price range, however, most of them needed extensive work, and houses were selling within 30-45 days on the market.  When I felt comfortable with one, it was gone before I knew it.

I finally settled on a duplex in a small town called Somersworth NH.  I grew up in Somersworth, so it seemed logical to purchase rental property there.  I still knew tons of people in town, so if I needed tenants, I could get them anytime, and if I need help with issues, I had tons of friends in construction.  What I didn't have was a friend that knew how to be a landlord! 

I thought it was going to be all "fun and games".  I would own the house, I would live in half, and the tenants would live in the other half.  I would charge enough rent to pay my entire mortgage, and all I would have to do every month was just collect a check!  SWEET DEAL!!!!!  Wrong!  There was so much more than that, and I was ignorant to all of it.

Long story short, my first time was a roller coaster.  Full of ups and downs, tons of questions, and answers.  What I didn't have at the time was someone that had the answers.  A go to person, who if I needed, was there to answer my calls, steer me in the right direction.

It's now, as a Realtor® that I realize how important it was, and now more than ever, IS, to have a good Realtor® on my side, to guide me through the process, answer my countless questions, and ease my worries when things went wrong.

For more information as to how I can help you with "your first time", contact me anytime!!!!!!!