Are you a home buyer? A home is more than just a collection of bedrooms and bathrooms. Several properties — each with four bedrooms, three baths, and the same price — may well represent radically different designs, commuting distances, lot sizes, tax costs, interior dimensions, and exterior finishes.
Each home buyer is different and so it’s important to list the features and benefits you want in a home. Consider such things as pricing, location, size, amenities (extras such as a pool or extra-large kitchen) and design (one floor or two, colonial or modern, etc.).
Next home buyer it is important to consider your priorities. If you can’t get a home at your price with all the features you want, then what features are most important? For instance, would you trade fewer bedrooms for a larger kitchen? A longer commute for a bigger lot and lower cost?
Lastly, home buyer consider your needs in several years. If you’ll need a larger home, maybe now is the time to buy a bigger house rather than moving or expanding in the future. If you expect your income to increase, perhaps you should consider a more expensive home financed with a loan program where monthly payments increase in the future.
Buying a house brings up many questions and ideas of what is important. My checklist of questions should help you think thru your wish list.
General
- How long do you plan to live there? The longer you plan to stay, the more life changes you’ll need to plan for.
- Do you have or plan to have kids? Consider schools, bedrooms, playroom, yard size, parks.
- Want a fixer? Do you have the time, money, commitment and skill to see it through?
- Is a new home or older home best for you?
- Do you need to be near public transportation? The Freeway?
- Will you like or dislike having a Homeowners Association?
- How long will your commute to work be?
- Do you need to be near a park?
- Is a community pool important to you?
Exterior
- Will parking for guests be necessary?
- Is a garage a must? How many parking spaces?
- Do you want a RV gate and a place to park a boat or camper?
- What are HOA rules about RV gates and guest parking
- Need a large yard or will maintenance overwhelm you?
- Is a pool or hot tub a plus or a minus?
- What home styles are ideal and which are a definite “no”?
- If you need a fenced yard, can you afford to build one?
- Is a lot of landscaping or gardening good or bad?
- Do you prefer desert landscaping or grass?
Interior
- Do you like or dislike basements?
- How many bedrooms/den/office space you’ll need?
- Are there floor plans or styles that you dislike?
- Do you like a great room or prefer several rooms
- How many bathrooms will you need over the time you’ll own the home? Consider kids, roommates and overnight visitors.
- Can you afford to do cosmetic work such as carpet and paint?
- Do you like or dislike a wood stove or fireplace?
Now that you have an idea what things you want…..what do you need? Next we will look at wants vs needs.