If you know us, you know there are two things we love:
- Arlington
- Helping people
Arlington Texas Today was created four years ago because of our love for both. We’ve told our story a few times like here and here.
Sometimes, helping takes the form of publishing an article that makes your life in Arlington a bit easier.
Other times, it is helping a reader reach a huge goal of homeownership.
It is such a joy to help anyone buy a home. But when it is an Arlington Texas Today reader ready to buy their first home in our awesome city, we get really excited!
As you know, we often ask recent homeowners to share stories of being new Arlington residents. All journeys to Arlington and homeownership are different. We feel this is a cool way to showcase the process and emotions that come with moving to and buying a house in Arlington.
Today’s featured Arlington residents are Tiffany and Oscar. The couple recently purchased their first home in Arlington!
Tiffany agreed to share thoughts and the experience of buying their first home in Arlington with us.
The following questions and answers are excerpts from our interview with Tiffany.
ATT: Tell us about yourself.
TM: I am 26 years old and work for a call center in Irving. Oscar is 28 and works for USPS as a mail carrier.
ATT: Where did you move from and why did you want to buy a home in Arlington?
TM: We lived in Arlington but closer to the ballpark and wanted to stay in Arlington. Now we live in south Arlington.
ATT: Why did you decide to buy a home in Arlington vs other DFW cities?
TM: We love the city! It is in the middle of DFW and there is so much to do. Plus, we were both raised here. We both went to the same Jr. high school in Arlington and that’s how we know each other. Both of our families are in Arlington so we wanted to stay close to home.
ATT: Why did you want to buy your first home?
TM: We were tired of renting and rent is so high now, that in my opinion it just better to invest in something that will be ours. Plus I am addicted to HGTV so I want to start doing projects and making my Pinterest board come to life finally.
ATT: What amenities were you looking for in a home?
TM: We had to have a pool for this Texas heat! The school district was important to us as well we want to make sure when we do have kiddos that they are in a good school. The other requirements were 3 bedrooms, a 2-car garage, nice sized kitchen and open concept (layout).
ATT: Why were those amenities most important?
TM: The pool well because it’s Texas so we really needed it. 3 bedrooms for our two kids we plan to have. Oscar works on his cars and used to race (cars). He still loves working on his car so he needed a garage. I wanted a nice sized kitchen becauseI feel it is the heart of the home.
ATT: How did you meet and decide to work with Keela as your REALTOR®?
TM: I actually started following the Arlington Texas Today blog and loved the recommendations for things to do. Even though I have lived in Arlington my entire life, there were things I never knew about. It nice to have something to read to inform you on events and things going on. Then, I saw (Keela) was having a first time homebuyer classand decided to go to just get information.
We knew we wanted to buy a home but didn’t know where to even start the process. After the class we thought we might not even qualify for a house but said let’s just try. The worst they tell us is no. It was actually a fast smooth process once we got the news that we qualified.
ATT: What was your experience like working Keela as your REALTOR®?
TM: Wonderful! Fantastic! She was heaven sent. Seriously it was all in God’s plan for me to just simply follow a blog that lead me to Keela. She was patient and I trusted her completely. I loved that her main concern was finding the best home for us until we were in love no matter how many houses we saw. She was always available and willing to work with us and our schedules. It nice to feel like I gained a friend who genuinely cared about us understood how important it is to find a good home she never felt like just our REALTOR®.
ATT: What’s the #1 piece of advice you would give someone thinking about purchasing a home in Arlington?
TM: To go with Keela of course! She is the best I say that because I witnessed a lot of REALTORS® who were more concerned with hurrying up and making a sale or a quota and didn’t care that this is quite honestly the biggest purchase you will ever make. Keela understood that and that means a lot for a first time home buyer no matter what you are looking for in a home. She will tell you the truth and she not just trying to sale you on something.
Also, don’t stress. Home buying is exciting and can be stressful but don’t get discouraged if it takes some time to find your home it all in the process.
