How a young Tampa family avoided the usual home buying struggles and found the perfect fit.
Shortly after bringing their daughter Nora into the world, Tampa area homeowners Samantha (Sam) and Corey quickly realized that their starter home wasn’t going to cut it for this next big stage in life. With a newborn needing all of their spare attention and increasingly hectic work schedules, they were tired of all the time-consuming maintenance projects that came with their old home. “We had so many things to do to the old house. And with having a new baby, the time wasn’t there,” says Sam. Instead, they wanted a home that was project-free, with plenty of space to raise Nora, play with their goldendoodle, Marcona, and host visiting friends and Grandparents. Finding the right, move-in ready home was only half the battle, though. With so little time on their hands, Sam and Corey also needed a way to buy their next home while barely lifting a finger.
“We had so many things to do to the old house. And with having a new baby, the time wasn’t there.”
Finding an (actually) move-in ready home.
At first, Sam and Corey’s home search was fairly casual. For about a year after Nora was born, the couple looked at homes for sale online and visited a few in person. Their initial home search, however, didn’t give Sam and Corey much confidence. “We didn’t see the value out there. We saw some nice houses that were overpriced, and we also saw houses where we had to do work. We were trying to avoid that situation,” says Corey. The two eventually started working with a realtor, finally found a home they wanted, and made an offer. Unfortunately, there was a contingency in the contract that required Sam and Corey to sell their old house by a certain date in order to officially buy the new home. This was just one more hurdle for the new parents — and almost impossible within the contract’s timeframe. So the offer was denied, and Sam and Corey were back at square one. They had pretty much decided to stay put when Sam found a home online that checked all their boxes. They figured, why not check it out?
A home tour and a turning point.
Sam first visited the Bungalo home on her own (with baby Nora along for the ride). She was immediately impressed by the home’s design. “It was completely redone the way we would want it redone, which you don’t find in new construction,” says Sam. Featuring bright white cabinets, quartz countertops, and sleek chrome finishes, the renovated Bungalo kitchen was similar to their own, which they had recently updated to fit their tastes. Corey joined Sam on a second tour and was equally blown away, especially by the new wood flooring, since their old home’s floors “always felt old and dirty,” according to Corey. Both liked that the home was move-in ready, but still had character, which they hadn’t found in new build homes.
“It was completely redone the way we would want it redone, which you don’t find in new construction.”
Taking advantage of our convenient self-tours, Sam loved the fact that she could visit on her own schedule without an appointment. “We saw the Bungalo house and it was so easy to come check it out, so we came back probably like 20 times,” says Sam. “I’m walking around imagining my stuff in different places… it gave me more assurance that this was the one.” Sam would even feed baby Nora her snack on the patio — almost as if they were already home.
Securing a stress-free mortgage.
After their first tour, Sam and Corey got ready to make an offer (before someone else could jump on the home they wanted). At this point, they hadn’t talked with a mortgage lender yet so financing was still a big item on their home buying checklist. When the couple found out they could apply for a mortgage pre-approval with our affiliate company, Bungalo Mortgage, they jumped on the opportunity, knowing it would make the purchase faster and easier than if they used another lender. “I would definitely recommend Bungalo Mortgage to a friend,” says Sam. “The people we worked with were very transparent and trustworthy, and we felt like they had our backs throughout the process.” Another perk that sold them on Bungalo Mortgage? The cost savings. Since they would be buying a Bungalo home, Sam and Corey were eligible for $1000 off of their closing costs, and an additional $1000 by using the preferred title company. That $2000 savings was more than enough to seal the deal. Guided by an expert Bungalo Mortgage Loan Specialist, Sam and Corey were pre-approved for a mortgage within minutes of submitting the right documents, and ready to buy their Bungalo home.
Owning every step, all the way to Closing Day.
From there, Sam and Corey brought in a realtor to help them get to the finish line. They thought the price was more than fair for the high quality of the home. And they especially liked the fact that Bungalo’s No Hassle price point meant they wouldn’t have to get involved in bidding wars, which was another time-saver for everyone. Bungalo’s easy online process was a huge win for Corey too. “I loved it. It was just extremely easy,” says Corey. “It almost felt as if I didn’t have to invest that much time and knowledge into how this all works, which was really nice.” Sam and Corey submitted an offer online and Bungalo accepted it the next day. With every step of the process broken down into manageable steps, Sam and Corey breezed through closing day stress-free. Now move-in day was just around the corner.
No more surprises, way more free time.
Corey was tired of spending weekends (and weeknights!) on house projects. So the fact that the couple’s Bungalo home was certified and backed by a warranty was a game changer. “I don’t have to repair it all the time. It’s just nice to relax in our house,” says Corey. Even after moving into their home, though, Bungalo still had their backs. Shortly after they moved in and started getting settled, Sam and Corey took advantage of the Bungalo Post Close Protection that was included with their Bungalo home.
“I don’t have to repair it all the time. It’s just nice to relax in our house.”
Like with any house, a few small things came up here and there (for example: the shower head would run a little bit when they turned the bath on). No biggie. All Sam had to do was reach out to Bungalo. Local Project Manager, Ryan, was in contact in minutes. “I reached out to [Ryan] at 9pm and he responded at 9:02pm,” says Sam. After a few thorough fixes, Sam and Corey were more at ease than ever and ready for whatever comes next.
Looking back and moving forward.
Now, reflecting on their experience with Bungalo, the young family plans to never go back to the old ways of home buying. “The process was incredible. I still tell people about it,” says Sam. “What you guys are doing is very innovative. I’d definitely recommend a Bungalo home” says Corey. “Everybody’s eventually going to buy a house, so if you give somebody an opportunity to do something a lot simpler and easier… I think that’s pretty cool.”
This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not intended to be construed as financial, tax, legal, real estate, insurance, or investment advice. Bungalo always encourages you to reach out to an advisor regarding your own situation.
*Same day pre-approval is contingent upon receipt of your required documents.
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