Buying a home while pregnant?

mb0112 · July 2015

Our current apt doesn't have space for a nursery so we are hoping to buy a home and move soon, but I am worried about rushing into the wrong decision because of the timeline! My husband has suggested just renting a larger place for a while, but I'm tired of losing rent money and want to be able to feel more secure and settled before the baby gets here. I'd love to paint and decorate a nursery, and then spend my maternity leave continuing to work on other rooms. Anyone else in a similar situation, or any moms who moved while pregnant with an earlier child?

St0v3s · July 2015

We are currently in the same situation. We had every intent on buying a home next summer but due to Bam coming late March early April time frame we need to move by February 1 at the latest

Smom901316 · July 2015

We waited to buy a house because what we were looking for wasn't available. We moved into a rental for just over a year (from about 6 month pregnant until my daughter was about 9 months old) I still got to paint and decorate her nursery and it took the pressure off of us investing a lot of money in a haste decision. I am glad we did it the way we did. We looked and almost offered a couple of houses but in the end I am glad we waited.

fwtx5815 · July 2015

We actually closed on our first home the day after a got my positive pregnancy test at the end of June. We aren't moving until the end of August because it works out better that way for both us and the previous owners, so we put a lease-back into the contract.

I'll be around 12-13w when we move out of our apartment into the house. I'm hoping I have more energy by then but it seems like it will manageable.

Romano123 · July 2015

We bought, closed and moved into a house while I was pregnant. We moved in about 2 weeks before the baby was born.

FWIW I didn't spend my maternity leave fixing up the house. I was exhausted and didn't do anything.

Looking back on it, I would have rented a bigger place and took our time.

KJKNAJ · July 2015

If there's a chance of you rushing it and then settling for something less than you really wanted, don't do it! Buying a home is such an important financial decision that you want to get right. Remember babies only really'need' a few things (crib, drawer of clothes, few toys) the rest is just extra. You will be much happier designing and giving the child the perfect nursery/bedroom in the right house, even if that has to be down the road.

sheridanmmslater · July 2015

We're looking at buying a house, it's one I love, but hubby doesn't like the small lot size. We haven't pulled the trigger yet and may still just apply for a bigger apartment.

jmathi0149 · July 2015

We are currently in the same situation except I have an 11 month old, my house is on the market, and I am 7 weeks pregnant with some crazy morning sickness. I am exhausted. We have had 28 showings this week which luckily you won't have to deal with. We are already building our now house. It is super stressful now but I know it will be worth it to be moved in and have everything done by the time the baby gets here. We plan on this new house being our forever home. Good luck on your search! I hope it goes smoothly!

Hullabaloo2016 · July 2015

We live in Colorado, the hottest housing market in the country right now. Prices have risen 12% in the last 12 months, but closer to 25% in our specific area. I've seen friends lose out on a house by 5 min less than an hour on the market and outbid for 5% more than asking price. No way can we compete in this housing market, we have been priced out of our little town. So, we stay put until SD13 graduates high school, then we can move somewhere more affordable, if that even exists in Colorado at that point. The thing is, between DH and I, we make a really decent amount. More than we have ever made before, but we could have afforded these homes 4 years ago on much less salary! Kind of depressing.

FutureMrsCaesar · July 2015

I'm not currently in your situation but it seems like it might be worth looking and exploring your options over the next 4-5 months or so, but make an agreement that if you don't find a house you LOVE then don't settle, and rent again.

jmathi0149 · July 2015

Hullabaloo2016 said:
We live in Colorado, the hottest housing market in the country right now. Prices have risen 12% in the last 12 months, but closer to 25% in our specific area. I've seen friends lose out on a house by 5 min less than an hour on the market and outbid for 5% more than asking price. No way can we compete in this housing market, we have been priced out of our little town. So, we stay put until SD13 graduates high school, then we can move somewhere more affordable, if that even exists in Colorado at that point. The thing is, between DH and I, we make a really decent amount. More than we have ever made before, but we could have afforded these homes 4 years ago on much less salary! Kind of depressing.

We are in Colorado too. Our only saving grace is the money we will make from the sell of our house. This market is crazy!

llybeck · July 2015

AS long as you aren't rushing things just to get a house I think you'll be fine. Just make sure you are getting what you want and not settling unnecessarily.

We bought a house when I was pregnant with our first. We ended up finding exactly what we were hoping for and in our price range so it worked out really well for us. I was about 2 months pregnant when we moved in and that wasn't the greatest time (terrible nausea, I threw up most days during that whole pregnancy) but moving isn't very fun to begin with! It was really nice to be able to get things ready in her room though and to be able to feel settled in our own house. The house needed work (still does...) but it's not so bad when you know you're putting money into the house you own and will stay in, hopefully forever.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

jess9802 · July 2015

We're under contract right now for a house we've been looking at for almost seven months. If all goes well we'll close in mid-September. If it doesn't work out I suspect we'll be staying put in our rental home, which we really feel we've outgrown. But we don't want to settle. Unless home prices are appreciating like crazy (and they are not in my area) selling too soon will mean a loss after commissions and closing costs. We don't want to move into a home we can't see ourselves living in for at least five years.

ashcav · July 2015

We're currently under contract for a house. If all goes well, we will close 09/30 which should give us plenty of time to get things done. I really hope it works out because we're staying with family now after selling our house in the spring and I really want my own space again.

Sconesy..Cider · July 2015

We just closed on our house after nearly 3 months of red tape and various folks dragging their feet. Glad that headache is over! DH is remodeling after work and on weekends and we might get to move in by September.
I second PPs saying don't rush. We "lost out" on 3 houses during our hunt, but we wanted to wait for a house in a good neighborhood that was structurally sound. I'd encourage you not to compromise on such important details. Stay strong, Mama!

maelic · July 2015

Just don't count on having time to do anything but maybe take a shower while you're on maternity leave. Remodeling or decorating is... not going to happen.

fairytale2016 · July 2015

We are also looking for houses. Our apartment lease ends on Friday and we are living with my mom until we find a house (fingers crossed it is before the holidays, and especially before baby comes). House hunting is full of ups and downs, but at least it gives me something to help pass the time with this horrible nausea. Good luck to you!

mb0112 · July 2015

Thanks for the advice! I know I may be too exhausted to do much in the first weeks of maternity leave, but I am a teacher and with my lucky March due date it looks like I will take the last 12 weeks of the school year off, then still have the summer off. Hopefully by June/July I will have the energy!

beedaul90 · July 2015

Don't stress it! And definitely don't rush such a huge decision. Babies don't need much. I got rid of most my infant things after my 2nd in realization that we just plain don't need them! We moved into our first house 5 days before DD1 was born, it was crazy but I felt like I had a lot of time after she was born to get things done. Now with my 3rd on the way... (Totally not planned) we just sold our house end of June and had planned to build, which is still the plan but we're a little time crunched now! Lol! Prayers appreciated

Knottie1456889319 · July 2015

Hi Ladies, I run an office for a nationwide lender and have been a senior loan officer for more than eight years. If you are interested in getting pre-approved for financing I would love to help. One cranky pregnant woman to another :-h

PM me if you are interested, it only takes about 10 minutes. Once you know what you qualify for the decision of buying vs. renting becomes a lot more clear. We also do 100% financing and offer Veterans loans, FHA, and conventional mortgages. Bonus: We are one of nine lenders in the country who are Costco approved so we can get you wholesale rates and lower fees if you have a Costco membership.

I would love to hear from you

Shameless plug over!

NMLS#33008

NMLS #2925

roo1oo · July 2015

We're looking into a new house. We won't put our old house on the market, rather rent it out for a few years. Just have to meet with the bank tomorrow to see if its actually possible for us to buy something this year or if we need to save for one more year. If we're approved for a loan we already have a few houses we want to go check out, but I'm not convinced anything on the market right now is perfect for us, so we may not even buy anything this year and just wait until the baby comes and move next summer instead. You can always do that. BTW, your baby probably won't be in a nursery for the first few months anyway, they'll be sleeping in your room. You can save more cash towards a down payment by staying in your current place until next summer, then looking for a house when you'll really need something bigger.

Or just move to a two bedroom place now. Definitely, whatever you do, don't settle because you think you need something bigger. Babies don't take up much space, and with the markets like they are now, you want to be sure the place you buy you'll be happy with for 5+ years.

Good luck to you!

Want a personalized experience?

Buying a home while pregnant?

Re: Buying a home while pregnant?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards