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You’re getting married, and you’re buying a home – double exciting! Your lists are filled with florists, DJs, and washing machines. But with all the excitement comes a bit of worry, too, as in how to make it all work. Like anything else in life, you’re going to need a plan; after all, buying a home and planning a wedding will require a lot of work and a fair amount of strategy. This is a test of your power as a couple. The two of you together can make it happen as long as you’re both willing to work together, divide and conquer the tasks you can do individually, and call in the experts for help.
If you’re really busy with work and home-buying duties, you should consider hiring a wedding planner. These professionals can take a lot of the weight off of your shoulders. They know the vendors, the costs, the different venues available in your area, and all the little details you’re probably not aware of. They can be a valuable resource for you, freeing up time and, in most cases, money that you can spend on other things.
The Best Way to Go About Buying a Home and Planning a Wedding
Make a Budget
When it comes to buying a home and planning a wedding, putting together a solid, airtight budget is where you put all your cards on the table. It’s important to understand your financial picture as a couple. It should include bank statements, savings accounts, credit cards, and other debt, along with your individual credit reports, which are free to you annually. These will be necessary when you want to obtain a home loan. And it will give you a good idea of how much you’ll have available for the wedding, honeymoon, down payment for the home, and the move.
If it looks as though you’ll need to earn additional income to pay for it all, it’s possible to do this by freelancing some of your skills like web design, writing, photography, or tutoring, Or doing gig work like ridesharing or grocery deliveries. These side jobs are ones you can do on demand while allowing you to work as many or as few hours as your schedule allows.
A Home Search
When you’re buying a home and planning a wedding at the same time, you need people in your corner who can help streamline the process as much as possible. So, find a real estate agent in your area and let them know what you’re looking for, what your must-haves and like-to-haves are, and what you have available for a down payment and monthly mortgage payment. They can show you homes in your price range as well as put you in touch with mortgage lenders that they work with regularly and know well. You may find you qualify for a first-time home buyer program that can allow you to purchase a home with little or no down payment, so it’s definitely a program you should look into.
If you’re not ready to purchase a home, then renting is a great option for you. Renting means you don’t have to have cash on hand for repairs and maintenance, you’ll have access to amenities like a pool, tennis courts, and business office, no big down payments, and the ability to move more easily if a job opportunity calls for relocation. You can find rental listings online easily with the ability to filter for things like price, square footage, and amenities.
Don’t Forget to Have Fun
Buying a home and planning a wedding can be a very stressful time for you both, and it can be too easy to let the planning and worrying put a damper on what should be happy events. Keep those lines of communication open and if one of you senses the other is having a tough time of it, try sharing some of their tasks with them, like talking to caterers or making guest lists. Schedule date nights, and if you feel cramped for time, make those wedding or home search tasks into a date with dinners or even a quick stop at a local park to feed the ducks.
This is a great exercise that will last the rest of your lives in how to function as a couple. By carefully planning, keeping the lines of communication open, and taking time for each other, your wedding and new home, whether you’re buying or renting, should be just the beginning of a lifetime of happy events.
Author Bio:
Amos Faulkner wants to help people “do money well.” Money is a constant in our lives. Yet, as a bank teller, Amos realized that many people don’t pay enough attention to how much they have or how much they need, now and in the future. Well, now, the buck stops with his site, domoneywell.com. From teaching your children how to manage their money to saving for your golden years, Amos will cover it all.
