Here are some things to keep in mind when in the market for a new home. One of the biggest mistakes that a home buyer can make is to continue to look for that “ideal” house while passing up perfectly good houses in the process. If this is your first house, chances are it won’t be the last one you’ll buy. If you continue to delay your purchase, home prices will probably continue to rise and quite possibly, interest rates will too.
What kinds of things are important to you? Will you be near stores, schools, parks, restaurants, theaters, supermarkets? Do you mind being on a busy street or would you rather be on a quiet cul-de-sac? Is the house near public transportation? How far is it to work?
PREFERENCES:
Rate each of the following as: A – must have, B – high priority, C – medium priority, D – low priority.
___ Style of house – one story, two story, split level, etc.
___ Size of yard
___ Number of bedrooms
___ Number of baths
___ Bath in master bedroom
___ Eat-in kitchen
___ Separate dining room
___ Basement (Do you want a finished basement, or can you live without one?)
___ Fireplace
___ Garage (1 car, 2 car, carport, street parking?)
___ Windows in the kitchen
___ Windows in the bathrooms
___ Plenty of sunlight in the other rooms
___ Maintenance free windows, gutters, trim, siding
___ Lots of closet space (walk-in closets)
___ Adequate storage (attic, crawl space, basement, etc.)
___ Trees on the property and in the neighborhood
___ Children in the neighborhood
___ Air-conditioning
___ Type of heating system
___ Porch or deck
___ Dishwasher, garbage disposal
___ City water or well water
___ Septic system or sewers
___ Close to work place
___ Access to recreational facilities
___ Lot size
We’ll use this as our starting point to help locate the house that most closely meets your requirements.
