I booked our first home in 2014 April.After 6 months of house hunting with a 1 year old baby in tow.
We used to pack lunch for Rai snacks for us, plenty of water ,wipes, my tab and a few toys for Rai in our car and
go home shopping.
We signed up for a few popular home listing sites.But you have to go and see .Can’t shop online for your home.
What I did do to buy our home ?
Saved 10% of our salaries (while doing PG) for 2 years.Couldn’t do more because my hubby had an education loan and a personal loan to pay off ,during the same period.
We then made Fixed deposits of this lump sum amount for 2 more years.That was the time limit to get a job,have a baby and find a flat we could call home.
The time we spent looking for the perfect flat ,we also had 2 recurrent deposits going ,to continue saving for the home.It was still 10%.
How this helped?
When we actually bought our homes we were able to manage the downpayment with our own money and help from my mother.Mothers are angels.Just when we thought we couldn’t make the down-payment , my mom lent us the money.
No extra personal loan at inflated prices and we did not need to use one of the bad credit installment loans available to us, which would have been one of our options. Thanks mom!
We both wanted an apartment in a housing complex.Standalone houses though wonderful for gardening didn’t really fit our budget.So budget is important.
Searching for the best home loan deal, arranging for personal loan from mommy , using our savings, it was hectic.
While buying our home we were sure about 3 things:
1)Location
Very few things are as important
2)Space.We wanted the feeling of space .To breathe and relax and also to cut my plastic sheets to make those molds for all my decorative projects.
3)The budget, didn’t want it to feel like a noose.
We cancelled a few deals because SBI had not yet approved the project.
Even with 3 years of research under my belt, I had found it is difficult to do the SBI paperwork initially ,but life is easier later.Less hidden costs and surprise charges.
Another thing that was interesting was SBI Maxi gain. It’s really cool .Our final EMI will depend on the total amount that we actually take as loan.
My flat is having its flooring done now.So it’s pretty raw at this stage.But I am excited to share the framework with you.It will help ,if we dream about it together.
While saving ideas on my
Pinterest board,
,I have decided on 6 things:
1 I want lots of plants in my home
2) I want a green wall and book walls .
Can you understand I am biophilic?
I want 2 to 3 walls to have “book walls “.Floor to ceiling is nice,with rail ladder/step stool
3)I want my rooms to blend into one another to have that feeling of space.Not wanting the feature wall option.Maybe a mural.A “patachitra”.I don’t know .Have to think more.
Really want lead free paint options here.
Researching .
4) Accessories to change the look and theme of the rooms.I want colours from the room decor rather than the wall colour.
5) Ecofriendly furnishing options.This is Z must. It has to be safe ,hypoallergenic and greenfriendly.
The question is will I find it in Kolkata.
If I find it ,can I afford it?
6) The kitchen..That’s another story.I cook regularly.Daily stuff.Rarely gourmet. I am more of a gadget dependent cook, than anything else.I really want my stuff at easy working locations.Plus I want a stainless steel modular kitchen.So research again.
A few days back one of my friends told us about her curtain shopping fiasco.18 Curtains none fit finally. The horror of getting them changed or fitted.Task to make even the decor crazy people cry.
I did tell you about my #Daily chatter challenge.
My childhood obesity research continues.But I will, be taking you along on my journey of choosing ecofriendly ,budget friendly, health promoting options for your home.
Tell me about your home decor experience.What was the one lesson you learnt?
What makes your home healthy?
I am taking part in the #ubc #blogboost Ultimate blogging challenge with Blogchatter
#DailyChatter
#UBC Day 8
“Do diwane shaher me, aabudana dhundate hai, eek aashiyana dhundate hai”
This song came to my mind, when I read the first few lines of the post!
From finding the house, to envisaging it to have a book wall and green wall… I must say you are pretty well organised in thoughts and execution!
Very insightful post!
– Anagha From Team MocktailMommies
Thanks Anagha
wonderful tips AM. we had a similar situation arranging the funds for down payment. We didn’t quite take help from either parents but when the saved money went for down payment it felt like a huge dent.
Very useful for some one like me who will get married soon and need to know all these things 🙂
Best of luck Sneha .Glad you liked this
that’s a very good plan Amrita,,loved the saving and downpayment thing. Loans are big headaches. nice window…
Nice idea of saving for a fixed time and then buying without loan. All the best for your future Amrita!
Thanks Menaka. Glad you liked this
Congratulations on the new home! I wish you find everything you need and make the house look as beautiful as you’ve shared your vision of it with us.
As always a very helpful and informative post by you.
Thanks Mayuri.Yes will be updating al my inspirations
Such an interesting post. Buying a new home is really a lot of work, so much research and decision making to do and endless chores when you actually moved in. Good luck and best wishes.
Thanks April.Yes buying a home is always a big decision. Glad you enjoyed the post
Very interesting post Amrita! Right up my alley! Home planning right from buying to decorating is something that needs careful planning and a lot of research. If thats done well, rest will fall in place. All the best with all your ventures!
Awesome
Having a home is a milestone..Congrats. Great Tips..
i can assume how beautiful your home will look after completion congratulations best wishes 🙂
The idea of putting 10 per cent savings is really cool. Wow! Your window view looks awesome and I am someone who believes in creating space. It matters a lot in today’s world.