Price
You
want to make sure what you are buying is realistically within your budget.
Don’t just look at the money you are approved for, do some number crunching and
see how much you can actually afford to buy. 78% of buyers today believe that
their home is a good investment. Your money is going into a house, and its
something you can see and feel, unlike other investments you can make. Make
sure you are putting a realistic amount of money towards this investment, and
that when you decide to buy, you are confident its something you can
financially handle, keeping your investment safe.
Condition
Some
homes can be a great value if there are repairs needed. However, this doesn’t
mean that this is necessarily the right choice for you. If you’re not the kind
of person that can handle smaller repairs yourself, large repairs on your newly
bought home may not be ideal for you. You can, of course, hire someone to do
these repairs for you, but keep that in mind when budgeting for your house.
On
the other hand, if you fancy yourself a budding handyman (or woman), some
simple repairs may be right up your alley. This means you can be less concerned
with smaller repairs, like the wallpaper that needs to come down, the stuck
sliding windows, or the room that would be perfect if only it had a ceiling fan
to cool you off. Be realistic with what repairs you can do yourself, figure out
easily, or hire someone to do for you.
Size
In
the case of finding the home to best fit your needs, bigger is not always
better. Try to get enough space to live comfortably, but not so much that you
won’t use it. A big yard may seem
like a perk, but if you aren’t outside much, mowing the lawn and dealing with
winter snowfall might seem like a hassle with few rewards. Having 3 spare
bedrooms for guests may be practical, but if you aren’t going to have the
guests to use them, you may find you have a large upstairs to heat, just for
the master bedroom to get warm. Know what your needs are going in, and judge
size from there.
Layout
If
you plan to make your house the place-to-be for holidays and parties, you will
want a more open space that allows for communication throughout several rooms.
If you have 3 kids that just can’t get enough privacy from each other, perhaps
you want something with a lot of separation between living spaces. Are the two
bedrooms in the house on different floors? This may not be the best for tending
to young children during the night.
When
looking at homes, keep in mind how you will be using the space. Find a home where the movement suits
you or your family’s movement. If
you find yourself thinking something like “why would they put that room there?” think about if the layout you
are looking at would really be the best one for you. Note locations of the
rooms and number of stories, along with more obvious considerations like number
of bedrooms or bathrooms.
Location
Some
big considerations to take into account when looking at location are:
·
What attractions, restaurants, shopping, and
entertainment is nearby
·
School districts for buyers with kids
·
Driving time to and from work
·
What kind of community you want (suburban,
urban, rural)
·
Quality of the neighborhood
Some Facts about location from 2011 buyers:
·
Quality of the neighborhood was the biggest
factor influencing buyers’ choice of location.
·
The median distance from work buyers bought
houses was only 12 miles.
·
73% of buyers said transportation costs were a
consideration.
Street Noise
Look
at the street that your potential house is on. Does it have a lot of traffic
going by all day? This may mean you can hear it inside the house. Keep that in
mind when you head inside. Even then, when windows are open in the hotter
months, the noise will be something you have to deal with. If you think it will
bother you, this doesn’t mean you have to change location, simply look at where
the living spaces are in relation to the noise. If they are farthest from the
street, it may not bother you at all.
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