Here's What I'm Excited -- and What I Dread -- About House Hunting

Soon, I am planning to buy a new home. I'm very excited about some aspects of this big adventure. But, there are also some things I'm dreading about the entire process.

Here's what I'm most looking forward to -- as well as some tasks I could happily live without as I move forward with getting a mortgage and purchasing a property. 

Here's what I'm most excited about

Most of the things I'm excited about center around the process of picking a house. Here are some of the things I'm most looking forward to: 

• Going to open houses: Going to open houses is really fun. You get to see how other people have decorated, what their properties look inside, and how much interest each property has in terms of visitors popping in to see it. This is an exciting process during the house-hunting phase. 
• Visiting properties for showings: Setting up showings on houses I'm especially interested in is also very exciting. When I go to a private showing of the home, I have more time to take in the details without distraction. I can also take the chance to picture myself living there, which I find to be enjoyable. 
• Exploring different neighborhoods: When we visit houses we're interested in, my husband and I usually try to take a walk or drive around the neighborhood and surrounding areas. We do this to help us picture what it would really be like to live there, walk our dogs there, and do basic everyday tasks like grocery shopping. It's also fun to get to see what types of restaurants, stores, and attractions are in different areas. 

These are some of the biggest things I am looking forward to as I search for a house. Obviously, I'm also excited about the prospect of actually moving to a new place -- but I'm realistic in knowing that finding the perfect new home will take time. In the meantime, I'll enjoy these parts of the process. 

Here's what I dread

Although I have many things to be excited about, there are also some things I dread, including the following:

• Homes that don't live up to their potential. When we have house hunted in the past, we've visited homes that looked awesome in their online listing pictures but that were a huge disaster in person. This is never fun, both because it is a waste of time and because it means we aren't moving any closer to finding the home of our dreams. 
• Waiting for a house to come on the market. Sitting around waiting for new home listings is really frustrating when I feel like we've looked at every possibility in our target area. There's nothing I can do to make this process faster or better, either. I just have to hope some people who have a house we like decide to move and list their home for sale. 
• Dealing with the mortgage process. I've already gotten pre-approved for a home loan, which was a huge hassle. I'm dreading going through the final approval process and dealing with the stress and costs involved in things like getting a home appraisal and paying mortgage origination fees. 

The good news is that the pros outweigh the cons. I'll be enjoying as much of the home search as I can while trying to keep my patience -- and get my mortgage loan documents ready as I wait so I'll be prepared to close quickly once I find the perfect house.