Real Estate Buyer Tips

Make A List Of Must-Haves And Nice-To-Haves

Are you most concerned about a low-maintenance condo or a top school district?  Do you have farm animals that require minimum acreage? Do you dream of a rural view from your window, but are open to a tree-lined neighborhood near the town center? Or maybe it would be nice to have a new kitchen, but you opt for one that could use a bit of work down the line? While we all hope for our dream home, home buying can be about compromise and keeping an open mind.  Sometimes a near-perfect-for-you-house can end up being just right for you.

Don’t worry about paint colors and other cosmetic choices.

We would all love to have a house that is customized to our liking, but painting, changing up drapes and light fixtures are easy style changes that homeowners can do by themselves, or hire someone to do, without much time, effort and money. As you start to settle into your home, you can set aside money for appliances that can be easily swapped out.  Better to have the yard space you want, the desired location, and the amount of bedrooms you need than to have the right shade of gray on the wall,  so don’t sweat the small stuff.

DO worry about location, neighborhood and desired setting.

You can’t change your home’s location, as the saying goes.  If you especially want a home with a few acres for the kids and dogs to run in, but wind up with a house downtown with no yard, you won’t be able to change that.  On the other hand, if you crave being within walking distance to the village green and shops and restaurants, that half-hour trip to the grocery store from a rural setting may just have you home shopping all over again.  Also, unless you plan on adding on (and know that you are able to), you’ll also want to aim for the amount of bedrooms and baths you need at minimum.  Over time, you can change a lot about your home’s interior and some of its exterior (depending on zoning, homeowners associations, and type of dwelling), but you won’t be able to have much control over the neighborhood’s features, and no control over nearby highways, or being in or out of the city, depending on your preference.