MY BEST ADVICE (for first time HOME BUYERS) - WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS | XO, MACENNA EP. 18

After going through the process of purchasing a home myself, and now most of our friends are buying their first homes, I have put together my best advice for you guys! In today's episode, I’m sharing how to find a good realtor, what to look for when touring a home and what to do when you find the home you love!
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[@catherinemoore4413]

Being an Army brat and then a corporate wife, I have moved 33 times in my life and yes I am OLD now. Your advice was very good especially about location and finding a honest and compatible realtor. As a first time buyer planning on getting a mortgage I would also suggest sitting down with a mortgage lender to be sure you are in financial shape to move forward. They will help by telling you where your credit needs fixing and how best to do that. Realtors generally know who the best lenders are for their area. Thanks again for a great podcast.

[@pennpals123]

I enjoy your content but 3 sponsors is a big misstep- I encourage you to reconsider

[@ReadwithStefani]

And Ag1 and ritual seem to contradict each other too!

[@jmk1962]

​@@ReadwithStefaniI agree. I think it's irresponsible to be promoting two vitamin companies at the same time as viewers can overdose on vitamins if they take both. If either company is as good as they say then why would anyone take both. She needs to choose one or the other, not both.

[@kt_rvs2731]

I've had similar experiences of havung developed knowledge & surprising ppl. I went on a girls cabin trip & there was a pontoon boat we had access too. Some of the girls were going to take it out & asked who was driving, NONE OF THE KNEW HOW TO DRIVE IT. I was like this is a car in water, no canoe. 😂 I knew how to drive boats. I also had to teach them to check for ticks. Into our adulthood my sisters & realized how much our Dad taught us about home maintenance, car maintenance & a slew of things. It's been great being like a party trick. 😂😂 Realtor questions: - what financial moves are best to make when getting ready to start house hunting; we're like 1-2 years out from looking? - how to really know the style of house you're looking for; not aesthetic but like layout, combining styles with your partner.

[@sandraarnold2091]

I think a great podcast idea would be sharing your thoughts and tips for first time buyers around your age. My husband and I bought our first house in the 80’s. Things are so different now for first time home buyers. My daughter is close to your age, married and has a little girl. They have been renting (unbelievable how much rent is these days) for quite some time and would love to get into a house!! I’d love to share a podcast with her with your ideas on this subject. Side note… you remind me so much of my daughter! Your personalities shine and are so similar!! 🥰

[@angelrays7]

Realtor Q: what can a new homeowner do during the purchase to help later with items that come up that was not identified in inspection or disclosed by sellers. Re: Indiana

[@amandafarish87]

Questions: (im from Scotland so I know our end there's alot of differences but I'm under the impression there's alot of similar situations) what's the most important things to look for in buying a property, that could knock down alittle bit of the price for the buyer? I.e if the roof you can see needs work, could you then knock of alittle of the asking price?

[@suziejames7510]

Location is the most important thing to consider. Here in the UK we have a tv programme about buying houses called Location, Location, Location which brings the point home. Buying the worst house in the best area is far better than buying the best house in the worst area. Houses can be changed, but you're stuck with the Location.

[@maralavern]

Never say never, but my first purchase was within a HOA community and I’ll never do that again. Sure, there are pros and cons to every HOA. However, in my situation, it ended up sucking the life out of me. All I can say is do your homework and research for THAT particular HOA before you buy into one. Now with that being said, when buying a home out of an HOA, you can’t control what your neighbors do with their homes and yards. I know, I have issues.

[@dhammes9616]

To the realtor that is coming on your podcast soon would she go into someone’s house and move their furniture or go in closets whether it’s upstairs or downstairs to see if there is any damage that is being hidden

[@OFCOURSE20]

MaCenna do you know your realtor gave away your home address?

[@CourtneyBishopPOA]

We've been on our home exploration for our first house since March. We decided to resign our lease and wait to start lokking again next year when the market is better. We learned SO much in this first round, especially getting as close as winning a bid on a 128 year old home and then backing out of it after inspection. Do NOT skip this step! There was crazy structural issues, along with many other repairs. The location wasnt the best neighborhood either. This had the potential to be a beautiful historic home, but unfortuantely was abused and neglected. Macenna is right, you can feel the difference in a home being taken care of versus not. I'm so glad we stepped away. I will be researching and driving around more to have a better idea of the location I truly desire to live in when we start our next search. And paying for that inspection and BEING there with him was worth it's weight in gold for the money we paid. Saved us THOUSANDS on buying a house that would've been a headache and yearsssss before we could've even gotten to the home upgrades we actually WANT to do! Also, does anyone else try to like videos multiple times? 😅 you will say something and i'll relate and like it, then you'll say something else later and i'll go to like the video only to realize i already have 🤣 keep up the fun work, Macenna! ❤

[@robincrivello3880]

In her experience, what are the three biggest mistakes in choosing a home and what are three of the major things you should look for in your home?

[@michellemarrufo]

Question for Realtor: How far in advance do you need to start talking to a realtor and what should you have ready in place before talking to a realtor?

[@courtneycrawford2892]

OMG Buying in an HOA was my biggest first-time home buyer mistake. I had never experienced one, so I didn't know what to think. The first week we moved in was so unwelcoming- we had strangers taking pictures of our house and yard (from the HOA), sending violation notices to our township, and denying our requested changes. I am sure not all HOAs are like what I have experienced, but it is enough that I will not buy in one again.

[@MaggieMagnoli]

I'm waiting to hear 1 good HOA experience from anyone lol. I'm currently in the process of buying a home we saw a home we almost loved but saw there was an HOA, we looked at your rules and you can't build a fence that is taller than 4 feet (not even in your back yard). The house was on the corner of a street that comes off a pretty busy road and we have a 4 ft 3 year old lol - needless to say, we are still searching lol!

[@CourtneyBishopPOA]

Ugh, I've been avoiding any homes I see with an HOA bc I've only heard terrible things! So annoying and I'm sorry!

[@terriaviles]

I love my HOA! Everything looks great ❤

[@south_belle1685]

I had purchased an older home with a brick chimney....if you have a chimney, I would HIGHLY recommend a chimney inspection. It doesn't cost much more but it became tons more expensive when I had to have it torn down & rebuilt! The prior owners hid the issues well.

[@kimwood6632]

If you can prove they hid these issues you can go back on them if it's been within 3 years of purchase. They signed a disclosure and if it wasn't disclosed, They're liable

[@south_belle1685]

@@kimwood6632 see, that was a 1st purchase mistake. I didn't even think of that at the time. It did happen within the 1st year. I did end up selling the house a few years later BUT they got a brand new chimney!

[@bluejenny26]

Q: when looking on a site like, Zillow, Red Fin, etc, as a 1st step in viewing listings, what should we pay attention to as a 1st time buyer? And what are details of a property that don’t matter as much?

[@sandraarnold2091]

Where did you get your throw blanket? It looks so cozy!!

[@marionandrews176]

I’m going through the first time home buyer process now. I’m in an expensive/high demand market (NYC suburbs). Your advice is so true. I went to every open house and it really helped to determine neighborhoods and get a better sense of what homes in my price range really look like. Now I can pretty much look at a listing and know the house is/isn’t worth touring. My big issue is my realtor. She’s nice, but she just doesn’t get what I really want.

[@jenfrowe]

You can find a new realtor. I’m the daughter of one and people moved on from him occasionally. Thankfully, he was good at what he did so more people moved on to him than left. But, you have no commitment to stay with your realtor.

[@kimwood6632]

Time to move on...I've had to switch when they don't work and you're buying the most important thing you'll live in. There's no hard feelings unless you're friends with them.

[@josephcassidy1002]

Hi MaCenna! I just bought a house built 1890. You mentioned in this episode that a house lasts a lot longer if it’s taken care of- what do I need to do to take care of my house? How do I make my home last? Maybe you’d like to do an episode about this subject 🥳 Thank ya lots of love!

[@bumblebee_ms]

I painted everything I hated before replacing anything, it is what I did when I bought my house and it saved me a huge headache, and gave me time to think what I really wanted to do with each space. PAINT is my best friend.

[@JesGriffin]

I don’t recommend paying $235,000 over asking but I’m not the expert.

[@CourtneyBishopPOA]

Lol yikes!

[@RoxaneJ14]

I jumped on the notification, I'm loving this podcast so much

[@sophiachang4299]

How do you know when you're ready to buy a home? I hear all of these programs for first time home buyers where you don't have to put 20% down and things that seem very enticing, but I find it hard to figure out if it's something worthwhile and feasible.

[@bumblebee_ms]

I knew I was ready to buy my first home when I hated paying rent for 12 years, I could have paid off half my own mortgage with that money, but you think you have so much time to waste as a young adult. I hope that helped.

[@alinanizamova18]

Talk to a lender and they will help you figure out where you stand

[@megaamold9597]

Love this episode! Q for the awesome realtor; are VA home loans competitive enough in a hot sellers market? (Compared to cash offers, conventional home loans…)

[@CourtneyBishopPOA]

Oh, love this q! My partner and I have a VA loan and just resigned our lease after searching for our first home for the past 4-5 months. The market is tough! And we realized we needed to wait to have better buying power to get into a home we really want!

[@darlaburnett8666]

Seriously, I Love you and everything about your life and so excited for you and all the things that are happening in your life, but I have to say when I see you dressed up in a long sleeve sweater and wrapped up in a blanket, I have to wonder "turn your AC, up" stop wasting electricity!! Our nation talks about being more energy efficient and being wise in using our energy. I always wonder are you cold sitting there? Is it more the lights for the camera, b/c I know they are hot but I'm still curious what is your AC set on ...LOL

[@waureenkyriacou5056]

it is a breath of fresh air to watch a video and that person pronounces words properly ....it a pet peeve of mine when words are mispronounced .....realtor is one of them so many people say real-a-tor.....so thank you for pronouncing it correctly I love your video's , you are extremely talented , and self confident....it seems like there is nothing you can't do .....is there ????

[@jmk1962]

Apart from the fact that she, like a lot of Americans, never pronounces her "T's" like she says "innernet" instead of "internet" and "winner" instead of "winter". Drives me nuts listening to it. 😢

[@conniemorgan8402]

You have myself and my nephew, drinking AG1.. what a difference ❤️❤️

[@standyourtruth.juneb.8069]

You are a natural! Great information. I am curious, did your friend like your plan for their renovation?

[@mlm7598]

Great video and I too absolutely love your home! Can you get the old growth trimmed back so you get more sunlight and also spur it on to make new growth . Also getting it cut back some it gives new growth and doesn't cut off light for the lower plants ..... Our Rhododendron is to leggy and almost a tree rather than a bush and it is all top bloom instead of bloom from the bottom and lush and beautiful as it always did. We planted it almost 34 years ago and we need really to cut it way back into a bush rather than growing into the tree it is trying to do. Your yard and home are absolutely a dream..........enjoying going along for the fun and experiences with you ..............blessings!

[@madelineo]

Question for the realtor! I'm a millennial living in my first home, which my husband and I bought last year, and one thing I do not understand is... how do most people sell their home and buy the next one to move into without having a period of having nowhere to live? I would like to eventually use money from selling my house to buy the next one, but how does that work with how uncertain the buying & selling process is? I've heard of people selling and then moving into an apartment or a hotel while shopping for the next place, but there's got to be a better way

[@DinainOH]

I've been through some of this looking for my first home. I thought I was driving my realtor crazy looking at houses but she was very patient and willing to show them to me. It was a good experience because it has helped refine what I need vs want and keeps evolving with a life changing event. I'll be anxious to see a podcast with your realtor. I bet it is weird after renting that you realize it is now your's and you can do what you want to it! I can't wait to get my own place as I'm tired of renting and landlords! A small cottage to cozy up in is in order!

[@lisadiamondstein4256]

Because many inspectors are referred to sellers by the realtor (which I find to be a conflict of interest), I would find your own inspector who doesn’t have a dog in the fight.

[@kaileerenae9719]

It’s not a conflict of interest, we don’t get referral fees from inspectors. We recommend inspectors that we use and trust! Trust your real estate agent, especially if they are registered realtors, as we are held to a higher standard than typical real estate agents.

[@lisadiamondstein4256]

@@kaileerenae9719 I’ve sold real estate. I know the ins and outs and I know realtors who have specifically recommended inspectors who will ‘keep the deal together’

[@denises9426]

I tend to agree with you Lisa @lisadiamondstein4256

[@EvelynM-vlogs]

@@kaileerenae9719 You may not get referral fees, but in a down market, a good inspection means a sale, which means money in the realtors pocket. a bad inspection means no sale and no money for the realtor. It is a thing. I happen to know a building inspector that quit the bus. because he wouldn't white wash issues and therefore the realtors would avoid using him. I also know a specific house that has sold 4 times in 9 years because the buyers, each time, where not made aware of major issues, even with their building inspection, which makes my previous point all the more relevant.

[@ecaterinacheptene9033]

My husband is a home inspector in Texas. We’ve been in this business for over 6 years. He turned so many clients away from buying “a pretzel”. We did lose couple realtor-clients because of that, and we don’t regret. It’s not just about making money. In addition I’d say it is way too risky for the inspectors to cover the flaws of a home for the realtor to make the sale. Doesn’t benefit them in any way.

[@lanakelley2893]

Question for your realtor: How to get detailed information - house plans - specifics on location of septic tank and geothermal in ground loop. Details on previous repairs and service companies used.

[@kelsienimke1802]

We recently bought our first house, but it’s not a forever home. We’ve put some updates in it and love it, but will outgrow it sooner rather then later. What is a real pets recommendation on getting that next home? What is the process of selling the house you’re in and what would it look like if you kept the home as an investment property?

[@joyremillard8333]

Enjoying your journey. Thank you for sharing.

[@kaileerenae9719]

FYI - the terms “Realtor” and “real estate agent” are not always interchangeable. All Realtors are real estate agents, but not all real estate agents are Realtors. While in general real estate agents have a duty to be honest and represent the best interests of their clients, Realtors have an even stricter code of ethics that we are required to follow by the NARBOR. If you are having an issue with your real estate agent not fulfilling their duties, you can report it to your local Real Estate Commission and, if your real estate agent is also a Realtor, to your local Board of Realtors.

[@j.f.32]

Advice starts at minute 25... fyi

[@instaliloo]

Hello ! I love the subject of this video, it was so intrusctive❤

[@conniemorgan8402]

Born problem solver ❤️❤️

[@angietrujillo852]

Where did you get the blanket that is on your lap? Love, love, love!

[@Thebeach848]

Can 3 family members go on a mortgage together? (Mom & 2 sisters plan to live together)

[@katherinelawrence8402]

As someone who bought my first home - a flat(apartment in Scotland) I wondered if you could ask if she knows what’s very American in buying a house obviously we use different terminology and names for things but when you were discussing the part about getting an inspection in the Uk the vendor (seller) has to get the report and you can opt to get your own as well too as the buyer. So that’s quite different obviously your realtor ( we call them estate agents) has probably never sold property in other countries but it seems like some things are very American way of doing it. I hope my question makes sense if not don’t worry only curious. Thanks for all your hard work I love love watching all your vlogs and main channel and now this one too. Hope you and Romeo and your mom are having a blast in Paris. You are probably coming back soon. You have inspired me to tackle as much as I can solo on my own home Reno. We are quite similar in many regards and I am such a perfectionist I would rather learn to do it myself than pay someone a lot of money and they do it but finish it off badly. Just did all my windows. Was a bit of a let down. Minimal bathroom renovations start next week so exciting as the work begins and the dust is everywhere i am in it now for as long as it takes to bring my 1960/70s renovated flat into the 21st century. It was built in 1885 so hoping I will learn how to film as well as you as I start my own videos to capture the highs and lows the moments that make my house a home. You are an inspiration to so many. Love all your work. Looking forward to part 2 of Paris and the next projects you tackle. Don’t forget to take care of yourself too.

[@miaroman9320]

My husband and I are currently trying to buy our first home (condo) in Orange County! Thanks so all the advice! We can’t wait until we find a little (yet so expensive 😅) place for us!

[@rayray91764]

Also, even if you're buying a new home build, I highly recommend getting an inspection. We got a new home build inspection and our inspector found places in our roof where they forgot tiles or even had something poking out of the roof tiles! He found debris in the drain in the upstairs bathroom. We also opted for the sewer scope and the radon test. We are so happy to have had our inspection! Don't rely on what the builders tell you. Don't use their inspector either if they recommend theirs. Get a neutral third-party inspector so you know they have your back. Happy house hunting! 🏡

[@janetbof4]

Is it true if you go into a open house or a new development model homes, if you don’t write down your realtor’s name they have trouble getting their commission? I never want to write my name period, is that okay as well?

[@pauladixon5663]

Great advice!

[@Joanna-pz3zp]

❤

[@pattipurvis3582]

Love your podcasts! I learn with everyone !!!!

[@30arminda]

Omg can someone tell me how to stop doors from sticking? It is the bane of my existence 😢

[@dhammes9616]

I haven’t listened to one of your podcasts in a while but this one was quite interesting thanks a lot for all your input

[@michellem434]

Always love your topics!

[@conniemorgan8402]

Experience is the best teacher ❤️

[@sandieedward993]

Very informative 😮❤

[@maryford5527]

Such fun.

[@eleondc9802]

❤❤❤