Most of us will never make a bigger purchase than the purchase of our home. It’s a big decision, and we want to get it right. But looking at homes can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to lose sight of the goal — to buy the best house for your family, within the budget you have.
We have helped so many people through the process of buying a home that we’ve come up with a list of four things you can do to stay focused while you’re shopping for your next home. Read on for great home buying tips!
1. Know what you need, and what you want.
You may think you know what your top priorities are when you’re getting ready to buy a home. Maybe you have a minimum number of bedrooms and bathrooms, or a square footage range. Write those things down. As you’re making your list, you might find that some things that you thought were firm are more flexible than you first thought, while other items get added to the list that you hadn’t considered before.
Make another list of things that you’d like to have in your new home, but aren’t dealbreakers. Maybe you’d like to live in a particular area, or perhaps you’d like to have an updated kitchen. Know where those items fall on your priority list before you start looking.
2. Understand your geographic area.
Before you start looking at homes, you should take the time to get a feel for the area, especially if it’s somewhere you haven’t lived before. How long will it take you to get to work? How close is the nearest grocery store? What are the schools like? Are the neighborhoods walkable? Understanding the area where you’re looking before you start can help you avoid falling in love with a home that turns out to be in an inconvenient location.
3. Take photos and notes.
When you’ve made your priority list and you’ve gotten a sense of the area, it’s time to start looking. You probably won’t know in advance how many homes you’ll look at before you find the right one, so get a notebook and take notes. You may think you’ll remember all the details, but after you’ve looked at a few homes, they’ll probably start to blur together.
Write down the house’s address and price. Make note of anything special about the home, whether it’s positive or negative. Maybe you love the location, but it’s a little smaller than you’d like. Maybe it’s close to a great school but the traffic is bad. Whatever you notice about the home, write it down.
Feel free to take photos while you’re looking, but don’t get hung up on things that are easily changed. The purple bedroom is an easy way to remember the house, but it’s not something to base your decision on because the room can be a different color in an afternoon. But pay close attention to the things that are difficult or impossible to change about the house, like its layout or location.
4. Compare notes.
Once you’ve seen a few houses, it’s time to start deciding which ones you like the best. It’s much easier to do when you’ve taken good notes and photos. For example, maybe the Washington Street house is $10,000 more than the Jefferson Avenue house, but it’s ten minutes closer to work. Maybe you didn’t like the paint colors in the Jackson Drive house, but it has a much better layout than the one on Lincoln Lane.
Comparing your notes about the houses will help you avoid making an emotional decision that you may regret later. When you’re ready to make an offer, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that you did a careful, thoughtful search for your home.
Ready to put these tips to work? Call Loeffler Realty.
We’re ready to help you find your next home. Call us today at (301) 882-8186 or use our contact form to get started.