House hunting is one crazy ride - full of highs and lows, ups and downs, thrills and tears. But from the stories of Canadians across the country who have been through it themselves, the ride is well worth the end result. To celebrate the house hunt, we’re publishing the stories of real Canadians in the weekly column “Canadian House Hunting Stories.” Here is Jessica Stevenson who decided, with her husband, to wait for the right home to come along.

Make Sure You’re Ready

My husband and I started our house hunting journey six years ago when we were pregnant with our first baby. We had a limited house hunting budget. We were looking for a mobile home with two to three bedrooms. After looking at several mobile homes we realized that they really only go down in value over the years. We decided to stop house hunting and get our finances in order so we could afford a house. One year later we were able to start house hunting again.

House hunting is a little overwhelming. We were the first of our friends to go through it. If you don't like your options, find out what it will take to get what you want. If you have to take a year or two to get everything in order to get what you really want, I say it’s well worth it. We were able to get a three bedroom semi-detached home with an open floor plan. It was perfect.

Advice I have:

1. Make sure you're ready.

2. See how much money it will take to get what you want.

3. Remember your first home does not have to be your last, but it should be a home to fit your current needs and that you will feel comfortable in.

4. When making a budget, make sure to include money to put back into your house in upgrades or repairs.

5. Only look at the square footage of rooms and their shape. Ignore everything else, everything else can be changed.

We want to hear more Canadian House Hunting Stories straight from our readers. Share your house hunting story in the comments below.