A Guide On Finding The Perfect House
Setting out to find the perfect house for you and your family can seem like a daunting task to start. You can look at dozens of houses before ever finding your home. What makes this task more difficult is not having a clear idea of what your wants and needs are before you start your home search. The most common mistake is that they don’t sit down and go over what it is they need. Very often couples will sit down with a realtor and be on completely separate pages about what they expect in a home.
The first step, even before getting a list of things you need together, is getting your finances in order. This step is called getting pre-approved. This will determine what your price range is. After you figure out a budget and what you are comfortable paying, you can determine what your home should have. You should consider things like:
Location
When thinking about location, it’s a very good idea to consider the pros and cons. There are three main categories when talking about location. These categories are rural, suburban and urban. Each group has its own set of pros and cons. urban homes tend to be located closer to work and places of business. Being closer to places of business makes them closer to potential traffic. There is usually a lot more night life in urban areas.
Suburban areas are great for families or people that have young kids. It is even a good place for people planning on having kids soon. Generally suburban areas are safer, don’t have as much prevalent night life and are much more private. Yes, it might be more of a commute to get to work, but most people are happy for the trade. Generally everything you need in a suburban area is not that far of a drive, so the residents don’t feel like they are missing out on anything. Homes in rural areas however, are farther away from everything and usually require a long drive to get where they need to go. These areas though are usually sought after by older individuals who don’t mind the long drives, or are looking for some privacy away from the city life. Usually retired individuals or couples will move to rural areas.
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Convenience
Taking all the locations into account you will have to consider how important that is for you in a home. It will almost always be much more convenient to live in a city that is close to amenities, than it is to live in a rural area. There are many other things to consider as well. How comfortable are you living near or next to major streets and highways. Will there be grocery stores or banks or entertainment within walking distance to where you live? Or close enough for a short drive? You will need to consider your weekly activities and how close you want to be to them for convenience. After all, you are going to most likely be living in this home for the foreseeable future, so you’ll want to think carefully to find the perfect house.
Schools
Something every parent considers when they are buying a home is if the home is in an area with good schools. Getting a good school district is pretty important to people with kids. It is always a good idea to do some research about the schools in the area that you are thinking of purchasing a home. How well do they score? What are the graduation rates? It’s also a good idea to find out how far away the schools are from the home, and if you want your kids to walk to school.
View
Contrary to what you might think, a view is more important than many believe. A view can affect your emotions and even your well-being. Is it important to you if what you see most of the time is buildings? Are you the type of person that needs to see open spaces or wilderness? If you are the type of person that feels cramped in just by seeing your neighbors, you might want to think about a rural setting. There’s nothing wrong with valuing your privacy. It all just depends on what you are looking for. If you value a view, maybe go rural. If you don’t mind buildings, urban or suburban might be the place for you.
Sounds
Do sounds bother you? If so, this can greatly influence the location that you choose to look for a home in. If you have a hard time sleeping at night because of ambient noise the urban lifestyle probably isn’t for you. If you are on the other side of the spectrum, and absolute quiet bothers you, you most likely don’t want to live in a rural area.
Type of Houses
Are you comfortable living in a mobile home or a condo? Do you want to live in an actual house? If you prefer to live in a house, are you ok with a two story, or do you only want a single story house? As long as you are happy with whatever you buy, it will be the perfect house.
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Bedrooms and Bathrooms
It’s always a good idea to not base your number of bedrooms and bathrooms on who is living with you right now. Do you have anyone expecting to move out soon? Do you think that you will have more kids? If that is the case you might want to have an extra bedroom or bathroom. It doesn’t hurt to have more rooms than you currently need. People tend to run into problems when they need more rooms than their house currently provides. If you can use the extra space that’s even better. You can use it as an office or game room. You can always find uses for extra rooms. If you have an extra bathroom that’s even better. Or if you have a two story, having one on every floor is very convenient. An even bigger bonus is having bathrooms for adults and kids.
Flooring
While it is replaceable, flooring can be pretty expensive. The most common types of flooring in homes is hardwood/laminate, tile and carpet. Each have their pros and cons. Typically tile and hardwood is easier to vacuum and clean, but can be very cold in the winter. Carpet is soft on your feet, but can be a pain to clean. It also adds warmth. Carpet can be good for children to fall on because it is softer than tile and wood/laminate. Wood however tends to look nicer and adds elegance to a home. When you choose between them, think about what your specific needs are.
Having pets adds another layer of consideration. Choosing between carpet and hard flooring with a pet can be a hard decision. Pets may not be able to grip slippery floors and can slide around, resulting in scratches in the wood or laminate. On the flip side, if a pet makes a mess on the carpet, it can be difficult to clean up. One thing to consider is yard space for your pet to spend some time in if you have a big dog.
Style
The style of home is very important for your enjoyment of it! If you don’t like the way the outside of the house looks, you won’t particularly enjoy coming home to it and looking at the front every day! The last thing you want is to buy a home that you don’t visually enjoy looking at. It wouldn’t be the perfect house if you didn’t like looking at it, right? There are many different architectural styles to consider. It is highly advantageous to look at many different types of styles of homes and decide what you like before you start your search. By doing that you will be able to find the perfect house for you.
Design
A common problem with buyers is that they usually get caught up only thinking about the present when looking for the perfect house. One thing to consider about your home is how the home will be accessed when you are aging. As you get older, it might become more difficult to walk up those stairs, or the step down from the entry way into the living room might be just a little more hazardous. You want to make sure that there are easy to access areas and entrances. Make sure that the first floor has a bedroom and a full bathroom in case you need to move downstairs. A spacious kitchen is also advantageous to allow access for walkers or other mobility devices.
Parking
Another thing to consider is if you have a car or many vehicles. Do you have storage for ATV’s, jet skis or many cars? Are you alright with street parking? If you need extra parking you will want to consider where you will store your vehicles.
Walking
Consider if the neighborhood you choose is safe to talk around in. Ask yourself if you would feel comfortable walking in the area. Another thing to consider is if you will be close to amenities near the home. Take into consideration the look of the neighborhood and if you see others walking around, or kids at play.
This might seem like a lot to take in but if you take your time and think things over, it won’t seem like such a daunting task. Make a list of what features are most important to you, and what you can compromise on. This list doesn’t cover everything, but it is definitely a place to get started and get you thinking. Finding out what is important to you is the key to finding the perfect house.
