Where The Heart Is

My cousin and his new wife have recently bought their first home! How exciting! The home is a small ranch style with three bedrooms. The bathrooms and kitchen need a little updating but for the price and location it's a great place with a lot of character! Buying your first home can be a little scary but according to TLC these are a few tips you don't want to miss out on.

A few I picked up on were:

• Know How Much You Can Afford - This is a must. Before you do anything, sit down with someone you trust and talk about a budget. Mom and Dad give great advice. They've been through this process before and even had to think about kids. If you're recently married, consult your spouse. Don't just wander around in the realty world, get your hopes up on a great home, and be shot down because of the price tag!
• Prioritize Your Needs and Wants - This is a problem in my every day life. What I want is not always what I need and what I need isn't always what I want. Having a seven bedroom mansion with a four car garage and a huge pool out back and may be nice and fancy (and a little dreamy) but if you're single or newly married do you really need all that space? Unless you're my mother, no. It isn't because we need the space it's because of her addiction of Christmas decorations and inherited furniture and should I mention the Elvis Emporium? Buy what you need. A three bedroom home is the max on any first time home buyers. The master, the guest, and the office/multi-purpose room aka CRAFT ROOM. No need for extras. You don't need a whole bunch of space for nothing. Save the money for when you decide to pop those babies out.

The rest of the post is just as important, especially for financial issues you must deal with. As for me, I'm still at home with the rents and probably will be for a while. Home buying/apartment renting is terrifying for me. I have a small addiction to shoes. That is a great excuse for that extra bedroom.

All this home buying stuff made me want to make a card. Your home is where your heart is. It's your money that you've been saving up for, make it worth something! Be proud of your first home even if it isn't what you've always dreamed of. Make mistakes and learn from them. When you're ready to have more space you'll know what to do. I made this card for my cousin and his wife for their housewarming party.

And the sentiment is:

With last card I did (Paper Flowers) I forgot to add the sentiment so here it is:

Happy Scrapping!