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The Busy Life Plus Three

A Latina lifestyle blog for the modern mom

Lifestyle, Marriage

5 TIPS TO BECOMING A HOMEOWNER

July 27, 2019

CELEBRATING 8 YEARS OF BEING HOMEOWNERS

Would you believe me if I told you I was just 20 years old when we started our home buying process and 21 when we finally got our house keys. This week we celebrate 8 years since our house was done being build, closed on it, and moved in. I am in disbelieve on how fast the time has passed. I MEAN EIGHT FREAKIN YEARS AGO! Ryan was just a baby, who had just turned one and was learning to walk. We started as a family of 3 and over the years it has become so much more. A place where memories have been created, a place where we brought two tiny newborns home, so many cherished memories here as a family of five.

BECOMING HOMEOWNERS BY 20

I always knew I wanted to be a homeowner at a young age. It is a scary feeling to take on all this responsibility but it is also so rewarding and amazing to have a place you can call your own. Before we got pregnant with Ryan we were leaving in a townhouse that we were renting and soon after when we found out we were expecting our place got broken into while we were both at work when I was just 6 months old. The feeling and emotions of coming in to your own place and finding out it has been invaded and loosing all of our hard earned items was too much for me. I no longer felt secured and lost the feeling of calling that place “home” knowing someone out there invaded our privacy and could come back at any moment.

After that incident we continued to pay our rent because we could not afford breaking our contract and we definitely did not want to ruin our credit either. We continued to pay for rent for those 14 months even though we were no longer there while we stayed with my in laws. We were so fortunate they took us while I was pregnant and gave us that comfort and security I had lost.

HOW TO GET STARTED

We started getting serious about getting a house right after Ryan was born. At that time I felt we had already started a family and it was time we gave our son a place of his own where he could grown in and have his own room and his own space. We started working on our credit. If you don’t know now- know this– CREDIT IS KEY if you plan to have a mortgage on your home.

HERE ARE 5 TIPS TO BUYING A HOME

BECOMING HOMEOWNERS

START EXPLORING YOUR OPTIONS

I think the funnest part for me was the starting process when we started looking into neighborhoods. Looking into subdivisions/neighbors/what area/what home design/the number of rooms we would want. All these are important questions to ask yourself to save time when visiting open houses.

SET YOUR BUDGET

Be realistic and set a budget for yourself that will not cost you stress later paying mortgage throughout the years. Stay in your price range and be outspoken to your real estate agent if the price exceeds your limit. Also the toughest one- avoid looking at homes outside your budget. They might be dreamy and beautiful but know your price and stick to it.

GET PRE- APPROVED

This is in important step in the process. A pre approval is a deeper dive into your finances and credit score that requires an official mortgage application. Your financial information will be reviewed, including debt, income, and assets. All are factors to gather information on an estimate of the amount you qualify for and possibly payment amounts. Once approved you will receive an official written document that outlines the loan amount that you qualify for and this sets the tone on what you will be shopping for out in the market.

PICK OUT THE RIGHT LENDER WHO IS GOING TO HELP YOU

We got so lucky with this because the neighborhood we had set our minds to was under development and the subdivision in our price range was not done being build. Actually our street was the first one that got build, so we were one of the first families that moved. The real estate agent working for our subdivision was helpful and very informative in our process that we decided to stick with her and take advantage of the incentives for working with their lenders versus going elsewhere.

So make sure to ask all the questions before you make a decision. Be patient and confident in your decision, you need someone with experience that is going to educate you.

KNOW WHAT YOU NEED VERSUS WHAT YOU WANT 

Again back to what had I said before about setting a budget and sticking with it.

This is the thing- You have found the perfect house that fits your needs but is it what you want or what you need? This is something you have to ask yourself over and over. When we decided to build our home instead of buying an older house we looked at the pros and cons and investing in an older home just seemed far more out of our budget versus building one from the bottom. Plus going with a a brand new subdivision gave us the opportunity to add a lot of upgrades to our home with no extra cost (of course we had a spending limit) but it was worth it for us.

And finally when that final day comes be prepared to walk and inspect your home and look at every detail before closing. Do not sign if your needs have not been meet. Remember there is always room for negotiating before signing.

by The Busy Life Plus Three 
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Welcome!

about

Hi! I'm Erika, wife to my high school sweetheart, mama of three- Ryan, Elyse and Luke. Texas living, just juggling being a WAHM now. Here I share my motherhood journey, family travel, love for food, affordable kid fashion and all my favorite things. Welcome to my blog, so happy you are here.

Be Social

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving 🦃🍽🍁. I’m grateful for the abundance of health, food, love, another year with my parents by my side and the family God has given me. I’m thankful for these four people right here, always ♥️ #thanksgivingday
What a special day. Many milestones to get here. 1 What a special day. Many milestones to get here. 10 years of marriage today. Within these ten years we have build a home, added two more kids (3 total and done) we’ve had career changes, you decided to go back to school and you’re halfway done, all while surviving a global pandemic and yet we are still here even after being stuck at home a whole year with each other. Safe to say we have made it! We have leaned on each other and pushed each other forward. 

Happy Decade Anniversary. 10 years of marriage down, forever to go. ♥️
The boys are living their best lives. These faces The boys are living their best lives. These faces say it all. Never really thought a boys trip is what they needed for some bonding time. They are exactly five years apart and share a birthday together but the age difference really became a thing now that Ryan is hitting his pre teen years. Luke randomly keeps reminding him “hey do you remember when I was in mommy’s belly and you wanted me here on your birthday... well here I am” 😂 // AD Thank you @visitfriscotx for giving the boys an unforgettable time #visitfriscotx #friscotx #texastravel
[AD] If you have been following along with my stor [AD] If you have been following along with my stories this weekend you already know we are currently doing another Texas getaway with just the boys this time at the new @hyattregencyfrisco 

We partner with @visitfriscotx to show you around the city. I’ve always loved the DFW area and Frisco has instantly become one of my favorite cities in Texas so far. There is so much to see and do. And the best thing for me is everything is either walking distance from the @hyattregencyfrisco like the @stonebriarcentre or easy driving distance like @kidzaniausa @thestarinfrisco @nvmusa and so many fine dining restaurants.

We love exploring new places any chance we get. Swipe to see more photos. Will be sharing more this week. You can check it all in my Frisco TX highlight. #visitfriscotx #frisco #dallas #texasblogger
Happy Friday! Let’s get LIT ✨🌲As you can se Happy Friday! Let’s get LIT ✨🌲As you can see I redid my @kingofchristmas tree. Starting our Thanksgiving break with another Texas family road trip... we haven’t arrived yet so stay tuned. #falalalala #tistheseason #kingofchristmas
We are hosting our first Friendsgiving next week w We are hosting our first Friendsgiving next week with our close friends so we decided to shop early for some holiday gifts at @burkesoutlet. [AD] The kids got to pick out some gifts for their friends and they are so excited to start wrapping up those presents to give them already since we won’t see them on Christmas Day. So many toy options at such great deals. I ended also buying a few things for my kids and husband too (which I been doing my best at hiding it all for as long as I can) Anyone else loves giving during the holidays instead of receiving?  #bfinding #giftideas #holidaygiftguide
Let’s do this! [AD] In partnership with @kalahar Let’s do this! [AD] In partnership with @kalahariresorts I want to share an unforgettable experience with one lucky winner! One family will win a one night stay at ANY @kalahariresorts for 2021. You will get the chance to experience the below —

TO ENTER JUST FOLLOW THESE STEPS: 
- Like this post
- Follow @kalahariresorts 
- Follow me @erika_cullen 
- Tag 3 friends in separate comments 
- Share your most favorite family vacation in the comments 
- EXTRA ENTRY: Share this post on your story and tag me for 5 extra entries.

YOU WILL EXPERIENCE: 

● 223,000 square feet of indoor waterpark
● 20 pools and whirlpools
● 30 waterslides
● Three acres of outdoor pools
● Attractions include: FlowRider surf simulator, adult grotto swim-up bar, cabanas and waterfalls
● ZeroVision Wave Pool Experience — a giant 37-foot LED display screen with surround sound mounted
● 80,000 square feet of fun in Tom Foolerys Adventure Park​ — thrill rides, ropes course, climbing walls, indoor zipline, bowling, laser tag, escape rooms, mini golf, 250+ arcade games and attractions
● ​20 on-site dining options​ — including five signature restaurants. 
● 10,000 square feet of retail space​ — includes Amatuli marketplace, featuring authentic African items, offering workshop tours, activities 
● Cutting-edge arcade​ ​—​ video games, mini bowling, blacklight mini golf, virtual reality and XD Dark Ride 5-D Theater
AND SO MUCH MORE! 
I WILL ANNOUNCE A WINNER ON 11/20. GOOD LUCK! #loveKalahari #KalahariTX
We have spend our weekend at AMERICA’S LARGEST I We have spend our weekend at AMERICA’S LARGEST INDOOR WATERPARK @kalahariresorts [AD]

It’s grand opening was this weekend in Round Rock, Texas. The resort offers 1.5 million square feet of space to play, get away from the city and enjoy having fun together as a family. It has been the best waterpark we have ever been to EVER. And we cannot wait to share this experience with one lucky winner. Stay tuned! I’ll be posting a giveaway this afternoon and can’t wait to share more of this fun unforgettable stay with you all. Keep watching my stories to get a close insight look of this beautiful resort. #loveKalahari #KalahariTX
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5 TIPS TO BECOMING A HOMEOWNER

OUR JULY GETAWAY

AN OPEN LETTER ON OUR ANNIVERSARY

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving 🦃🍽🍁. I’m grateful for the abundance of health, food, love, another year with my parents by my side and the family God has given me. I’m thankful for these four people right here, always ♥️ #thanksgivingday
What a special day. Many milestones to get here. 1 What a special day. Many milestones to get here. 10 years of marriage today. Within these ten years we have build a home, added two more kids (3 total and done) we’ve had career changes, you decided to go back to school and you’re halfway done, all while surviving a global pandemic and yet we are still here even after being stuck at home a whole year with each other. Safe to say we have made it! We have leaned on each other and pushed each other forward. 

Happy Decade Anniversary. 10 years of marriage down, forever to go. ♥️
The boys are living their best lives. These faces The boys are living their best lives. These faces say it all. Never really thought a boys trip is what they needed for some bonding time. They are exactly five years apart and share a birthday together but the age difference really became a thing now that Ryan is hitting his pre teen years. Luke randomly keeps reminding him “hey do you remember when I was in mommy’s belly and you wanted me here on your birthday... well here I am” 😂 // AD Thank you @visitfriscotx for giving the boys an unforgettable time #visitfriscotx #friscotx #texastravel
[AD] If you have been following along with my stor [AD] If you have been following along with my stories this weekend you already know we are currently doing another Texas getaway with just the boys this time at the new @hyattregencyfrisco 

We partner with @visitfriscotx to show you around the city. I’ve always loved the DFW area and Frisco has instantly become one of my favorite cities in Texas so far. There is so much to see and do. And the best thing for me is everything is either walking distance from the @hyattregencyfrisco like the @stonebriarcentre or easy driving distance like @kidzaniausa @thestarinfrisco @nvmusa and so many fine dining restaurants.

We love exploring new places any chance we get. Swipe to see more photos. Will be sharing more this week. You can check it all in my Frisco TX highlight. #visitfriscotx #frisco #dallas #texasblogger
Happy Friday! Let’s get LIT ✨🌲As you can se Happy Friday! Let’s get LIT ✨🌲As you can see I redid my @kingofchristmas tree. Starting our Thanksgiving break with another Texas family road trip... we haven’t arrived yet so stay tuned. #falalalala #tistheseason #kingofchristmas
We are hosting our first Friendsgiving next week w We are hosting our first Friendsgiving next week with our close friends so we decided to shop early for some holiday gifts at @burkesoutlet. [AD] The kids got to pick out some gifts for their friends and they are so excited to start wrapping up those presents to give them already since we won’t see them on Christmas Day. So many toy options at such great deals. I ended also buying a few things for my kids and husband too (which I been doing my best at hiding it all for as long as I can) Anyone else loves giving during the holidays instead of receiving?  #bfinding #giftideas #holidaygiftguide
Let’s do this! [AD] In partnership with @kalahar Let’s do this! [AD] In partnership with @kalahariresorts I want to share an unforgettable experience with one lucky winner! One family will win a one night stay at ANY @kalahariresorts for 2021. You will get the chance to experience the below —

TO ENTER JUST FOLLOW THESE STEPS: 
- Like this post
- Follow @kalahariresorts 
- Follow me @erika_cullen 
- Tag 3 friends in separate comments 
- Share your most favorite family vacation in the comments 
- EXTRA ENTRY: Share this post on your story and tag me for 5 extra entries.

YOU WILL EXPERIENCE: 

● 223,000 square feet of indoor waterpark
● 20 pools and whirlpools
● 30 waterslides
● Three acres of outdoor pools
● Attractions include: FlowRider surf simulator, adult grotto swim-up bar, cabanas and waterfalls
● ZeroVision Wave Pool Experience — a giant 37-foot LED display screen with surround sound mounted
● 80,000 square feet of fun in Tom Foolerys Adventure Park​ — thrill rides, ropes course, climbing walls, indoor zipline, bowling, laser tag, escape rooms, mini golf, 250+ arcade games and attractions
● ​20 on-site dining options​ — including five signature restaurants. 
● 10,000 square feet of retail space​ — includes Amatuli marketplace, featuring authentic African items, offering workshop tours, activities 
● Cutting-edge arcade​ ​—​ video games, mini bowling, blacklight mini golf, virtual reality and XD Dark Ride 5-D Theater
AND SO MUCH MORE! 
I WILL ANNOUNCE A WINNER ON 11/20. GOOD LUCK! #loveKalahari #KalahariTX
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