Ok, I get it… who doesn’t have this gorgeous picture of what you new home will look like?? When we talk dream home most aspiring homeowners do not think of worn avocado green carpet and paneling from top to bottom. Most picture the a white picket fence, a beautiful kitchen, a warm and inviting living room and don’t forget the cozy retreat-like bedroom.

In this extremely competitive market, the dream may have to shift a little. Isn’t homeownership the BIG goal? Aesthetics can be changed, and it doesn’t need to be right away. I’ll say it again. In this market, you likely will not have the luxury of changing the aesthetics of the home right away…

Why not? Because you will likely have to throw all that you’ve got into an offer to secure a home in this market. This market is tough, especially for aspiring homeowners without a huge budget for a down payment. There are cash offers, escalation clauses soaring over ask, and appraisal gap guarantees to compete with.

In simple terms that money that you are holding back in your offer to upgrade the kitchen, may be the difference between actually buying a home or continuing on in the pattern of searching for homes and losing out on offers.

With that being said, we are going to have to focus on practical over pretty. As hard as it may be, a solid roof and foundation and other mechanicals in good working order are so much more important. Once you actually get an offer accepted and close on your house, you can begin to save funds to change the decor.

Dream homes don’t happen over night. In this market buy a solid home first then put your special touches on it as time and money allow. The best part of it all is that you are investing in something tangible. The funds that you spend improving the aesthetics over time will pay off in the end.