Choosing the Right House – Make Sure It Works for You
Looking for a new home? It’s a complex process, but the reward is great – a refuge from the world, a place for entertaining, a comfortable and safe nest for a growing family – a place where you can create the surroundings and decide how to live in them.
Before you start looking for your new home, it’s best to do some careful thinking. How do you want to use your home? Do you want to entertain a lot? Do you prefer small gatherings or lavish parties? Are you a barbecue nut? Do you want to be able to host family and friends for overnight or week-long stays? Maybe you don’t want all those relatives piling in on you, and want a cozy little retreat and an excuse to put the relatives up at the closest motel. All these questions suggest very different needs in terms of space. If you like to host frequent small dinners, for instance, a big eat-in kitchen or separate dining room might be a priority. If you want to throw a huge bash periodically, a big living room and, during warmer seasons, a landscaped garden or deck with plenty of room for seating would be an asset, as would a highly functional, professional-style kitchen. A barbecue nut absolutely needs a big backyard; and hosting relatives requires extra bedrooms (or rooms which could be quickly converted into guest rooms) and definitely more than one bath.
Make a “must-have” list for your new home: eat-in kitchen, finished basement, big backyard, gardening space, in-ground pool – whatever you most desire. Then go through your list and prioritize, based on how you really plan to live.
Assuming you know the general area where you want to live, it’s also important to have a list of towns where you would like to live. Depending on your family status – kids in school or not, married, single, young, middle-aged, nearing or past retirement age – you might want to factor in the quality – and cost – of the schools, the tax base, the presence or absence of cultural events, and so forth.
Once you’ve really defined your ideal home and possible locations, you’re ready to contact a Realtor. Let your agent know what you’re looking for in a new home, and he or she will be able to search a Multiple Listings Service (MLS) database and generate a list of possible homes.
You’ve done your dream in terms of an ideal home; now it’s time to get practical. Unless you have unlimited funds to build your own perfect house in the perfect location, chances are you’re going to have to compromise. Here’s where the priorities come in. If you want lots of room for get-togethers but can’t find a house big enough with the kitchen you want, you may want to choose a large home and remodel and expand the kitchen yourself. The barbecue nut may be able to live with a small kitchen as long as he has a big backyard.
Thin out possible homes to perhaps half a dozen options, and make appointments to see those properties. If more than one person is going to be involved in the purchasing decision, make sure all parties involved are present for the showing. Get all the information you can from the Realtor about each property before you visit it – property descriptions, disclosure statements, deed information if available – and read it all.
Bring along a list of possible questions to ask regarding each property, as well as a checklist of your wants and needs. As you view the property, take notes, and discuss each property after viewing it with your Realtor. Try to winnow out properties as you go; once you’ve seen two properties, compare and contrast them, and try to eliminate one if you can; then go on to the third property, and again try to eliminate one. You may not be able to accomplish this completely, but even if you cut the possibilities in half using a systematic approach, you’ll be closer to your goal.
Remember, some things you can fix and some you can’t; so make sure this new home will function for you the way you want it to. The prettiest house in the world isn’t going to be a happy place if it cramps your lifestyle. So go for practicality and function, and if necessary add the finishing touches yourself.
