It seems like housing prices are skyrocketing these days. It’s getting scarier and scarier to find somewhere to live because of these prices. How are you expected to get affordable housing in these conditions?
If reading this is already beginning to stress you out, don’t worry. Tons of people are trying to figure out how to find affordable housing. Plus, there are tons of resources and options for you to check out to narrow down these costs.
Before you spiral into stress and panic, read through your options. You might end up saving a ton of money on your next home!
Know where to look.
Online search tools are about to be your best friend. Prioritize spending some time searching for your next home online as often as you can.
There are so many tools to utilize in this situation that it might become overwhelming to know what to use. Each online tool has different strong suits and downfalls, so it’s good to know what works best for you, your specific search, and your desired area.
Here’s a guide to apartment-hunting that offers a helpful list of the strong suits of each apartment or home-hunting search engine. Check the list out to see which one suit you best based on your needs.
Having a real estate agent is another huge piece in knowing where to start your search. It is literally their job to scour the market in search of their clients’ next potential home. Having this professional helping hand could bring you much closer to your next home.
Even just knowing the cheapest kinds of places to live can help you drastically narrow down this search. There are plenty of places that will cut down your costs for certain compromises.
For example, if you live alone you could always choose a studio apartment. These micro units don’t always sound appealing to everyone, but you could make that small space your next cozy, inviting home. You could even add in a murphy bed to allow some more room!
A tiny house, mother-in-law suite, casita, or whatever else you want to call it is another great option. These tiny homes or guest areas can go for really cheap because they are on someone else’s property. However, you get your own door and space, so it’s not that big of a deal when you consider it.
Single-resident occupancies are another option for budgeted housing. This is where you have your own bedroom, but you might share spaces like the kitchen, bathroom, or living room.
Searching for mobile homes specifically could do wonders to get affordable housing. There are tons of less popular, more specific forms of housing you can dig for. This website will give you a rundown on the forms of housing and why they are great options to look into.
Know how to look.
It can be stressful to start your search for a house or apartment at first. It takes a while to narrow down exactly what you want for a home. Your needs, standards, and desires all have to find an equilibrium due to the financial costs of renting or buying.
It’s important to know exactly what you want and what you’re willing to compromise on. Spend some much-needed time narrowing down your standards for your new home.
Use the right tools.
Once you narrow down what you want, you can set your search engine to alert you when a match pops up. This is one of the best ways to find good deals. You just have to know what you want and be quick to snag it!
Another great way to look that might give you an upper hand is “driving for dollars”. This is a term coined in the real estate world that basically just means driving around to find a property.
Find houses that are newly for sale in the area you want to live in. Then you can find some information on it on some of the home-search apps. Most people nowadays are searching online for sales, which might put you in a beneficial position by driving through neighborhoods.
Another cool aspect is that even abandoned homes without a “for sale” sign have potential. The County Assessor’s office has access to each home and its history. You can get your hands on this and see if it’s available!
Many County Assessor offices offer this information for free to the public. You can even find the contact information for the owner.
Although a little outdated, newspapers are still a viable option for your home search. It’s worth the extra effort of searching the “outdated” resources if it means you find an option before your competitors.
Get government assistance.
Government assistance is a great option if you need some help paying for your housing. There are tons of programs for financial assistance from the government that you might have access to. You can also find a handful of programs for housing specifically so people like you can get help with specific struggles.
There is a program dedicated to finding low-income households the proper housing situation. This program is called the Public Housing Agency (PHA) and helps millions of people every year.
They prioritize finding clean housing situations for those who don’t have one. You’re eligible for this program if you have a low income, a disability, or are considered elderly.
There are local HUD or PHA offices in plenty of towns. In fact, there are 3,300 across the U.S. You will have to contact your nearest PHA office to discuss your eligibility for housing help.
There’s also housing help specifically for certain people groups and life circumstances. Check out this government website to see all the options for financial help with housing.
Don’t stress so much about finances!
There are plenty of reasons you could freak out when you look at renting and buying costs right now. However, there are a lot of tricks, tips, and resources you can utilize to reduce those costs.
It might not be as difficult as you’d think to get affordable housing. You just have to know where to look, what people to talk to, and what tools to use. If you can keep these things in mind, you’ll be on track to get your next home in no time.
