After former professional football player Beau Blankenship's career ended, he looked for something else to occupy his time and energy. He needed a new avenue that was equal parts competitive, challenging, and rewarding. So it's no wonder he got into the world of luxury real estate. 

For his first few years in the industry, he worked at a small boutique brokerage, until one day, he decided to test the waters. In 2017, he acquired a Northwest Florida branch of the Engel and Völkers franchise, specializing in top-of-the-line real estate properties.  

Since then, he's added 60 members to his brokerage and 5 to the team. Blankenship Group had a record-breaking year of $336M in sold and pending volume for 2020, and Blankenship landed a spot on the Wall Street Journal's list of volume sold as #70 in the country and #11 in Florida in 2019.

After seeing so much success in the industry, Blankenship is now sharing his top 3 tips for buying a home.  

What's your biggest piece of advice for someone looking to buy a home? 

Beau Blankenship: I've worked with so many interested buyers who absolutely have no idea what they can and cannot afford. It's absolutely crucial to start this process knowing "the numbers." You should be able to know going into it how much "house you can afford". What mortgage payments can you afford, what's your potential interest rate looking like, what monthly costs could you expect once moving in? All good questions!

Find an estimate of your monthly mortgage payment if you were to buy a home you're looking at, and then look at your monthly paycheck to see if you can afford it. Determine exactly how much money you are financially able to put towards your home. And if you're looking to invest, make sure you figure out the return on your investment.

What other tips do you have for people who are looking to buy a home? 

Beau Blankenship: Definitely figure out your credit score and start talking to lenders about interest rates and what you'd qualify for. If you can go into the process of looking for homes with a prequalification from a lender, that's a homerun! 

Before you go looking for homes, decide what you must have and what you can live without in a home. Obviously, if you have a family, you're going to need more than one room. And if your family consists of you and your furry friend, you'll need some room for them to run around.