First-time buyer - Three things to know before you start

Shannon’s first three steps to buying a house are;

1. Get into the habit of saving
   Before buying her home, Shannon started to save a portion of her salary every month to mentally prepare for paying off her mortgage and bills. Although she found it hard initially, knuckling down and pushing through meant that she’d adapted to budgeting by the time she started to pay off her mortgage.
   
   Shannon advises anyone hoping to buy a home to save as much as you can every month, as far in advance of buying your home as you can. If you put in the sacrifice now, you’ll take some of the pressure off down the line. If you want to begin saving but don’t know where to start, we’ve got nine tips for staying on track with your savings.
2. Think about how you ‘experience’ each space
   Shannon and Dan both considered what it’s like to live in the space before starting their renovations. They planned out the simple things like the location of sockets and where they wanted them placed. As a food fanatic, Shannon wanted to make sure her kitchen had a USB socket so she could charge her phone while baking.
   
   Shannon advises first time renovators to take advantage of the blank canvas that is a fixer-upper and really customise the space for your personal tastes and wants. Need some inspo? Here are five top interior design trends for 2020.
3. Always have a rainy-day fund
   With a renovation, it’s always best to prepare for the unexpected. Shannon strongly advises that you always have some money put away for any surprises your renovations might throw at you. Shannon discovered when replacing her timber floors that the concrete underneath needed to be replaced too.
   
   This was a cost she hadn’t seen coming, but she was able to dip into her rainy-day fund to cover it. By having a safety net of savings, you can have peace of mind that you’re covered. Here’s how to budget and save money without needing to make huge sacrifices.

Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram pages, where Shannon will be revealing more tips and advice from her journey. Speaking of the journey that is renovating your home, check out eight of the most common home improvement blunders and how to avoid them!

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