When your apartment walls suddenly start closing in on you, it might be time to start eyeing a home with more square footage. New York, NY, engaged couple Amanda and David got the wandering eye in the summer of 2012 when they realized they had grown out of their tiny Brooklyn rental. They saw a larger, single-family home on the horizon, so they began prepping to become first-time buyers.
With a specific dream home in mind, one with various preferred amenities and square footage, they quickly realized New York was a tough market to tackle as a first-time homeowner. Determined to make that next real estate step, they decided to look out of state for a place where their dreams seemed more attainable.
“I knew about Trulia and would browse the site often to get a sense of different market trends. I wanted to see what houses cost in different areas across the country,” says Amanda. “In the beginning, we used Trulia’s Mortgage Calculator to give us a sense of what our monthly payments would be. It took into consideration taxes and insurance, which was really helpful in creating [a] ‘ballpark’ of what we could afford.”
After searching from coast to coast, Amanda and David settled on Colorado as the destination of their next home. Not too long after, David was able to lock in a new job in the city of Erie, CO, which luckily offered temporary housing for the couple as they searched for a home to buy. One New York marriage ceremony, a plane ride, and a couple of movers later, Amanda and David were settled into their temporary Colorado apartment as husband and wife — but were keen on not getting too comfortable.
“We were still in a market to buy, but I still had a lot to check off on my checklist — from a great neighborhood to one with a short commute time to David’s work. He really wanted to commute just 20 minutes to work, so Trulia Commute Maps was my go-to for that,” Amanda says.
On top of that, Amanda, a teacher, specifically searched for a great school district. She used Trulia’s School Maps to become better acquainted with the ranked school boundaries.
“I wanted to position myself close to a few good school districts so I would have good job options, but also for when we have kids. I didn’t want to have to think about it later and be forced to sell for better schooling. My mom has always said, ‘It’s not just about the house. You have to think about the neighborhood, schools, the convenience, etc.’ All this information is available on Trulia, and it was really helpful in our search.”
After a short time searching, Amanda and David found a home on Trulia that matched their criteria. Shortly after closing, they shared their new home listing with their friends and family on social media so everyone could get excited about visiting them in Colorado.
“The process went really smoothly. There were no surprises because we budgeted correctly with the Trulia Mortgage Calculator,” says Amanda. “We’re now making our new home our own. I love living right by the mountains, which has sparked a new skiing hobby. I love my bright new kitchen, something we definitely didn’t have in NYC. It just feels like a home and not a temporary spot like our NYC apartment.”
