When buying a home, you should focus on five areas. Don’t get caught up in seeking perfection in your new home. The most important things are the home’s location and the basic structure of the home. Because the average homeowner will live in their home for 14 years, the location is essential.
Pay close attention to the price, because if you cannot pay for it, you will lose it after all the investments you make in it. What are your must-haves: patio, large kitchen, three large bedrooms with adjacent full bathrooms, etc.? The home’s heating and cooling systems should align with your expectations.
- Location
- Structure of the home
- Price
- Must-haves
- The heating and cooling system
When it comes to shopping for a new home, the price will lead the way in your choices. It will be followed immediately by location and the home’s structure. Many older people will be seeking a single-floor home, usually a ranch-style home. Such a home may be made more unique by the amenities such as sliding barn doors attached with sliding door hardware leading the way into a generous walk-in closet.
The must-haves can include anything from a gas stove to tile or wood floors throughout the home. Your tastes will be paramount. If you are willing the pay for the cost of ripping up and replacing carpeted flooring and replacing it with wood floors, you can buy any home that appeals to you. If not, your shopping options may become very limited.
Another amenity that could create a challenge when shopping for a home is the heating and cooling unit installed in the home. If you have a lot of faith in your current heating and cooling unit and want to have the same thing in your new home, you may want to talk to your current HVAC service provider about a new unit or simply monitoring and servicing your new home’s current unit.
- Location is essential. If children are involved, it’s important that they attend a good school, and your location often dictates what school your children can attend. Location is also important for determining which stores you’re likely to go to when shopping for groceries, clothing, and household goods. It could also determine how long it will take you to get to work during the week. It may also indicate the amount of traffic you have to navigate daily.
- The structure of the home is especially important as it can affect how well you navigate your home every day. If you have disabilities, it may be difficult for you to climb stairs or walk long distances. You are more likely to feel more comfortable with a single-floor home of less than 3,000 square feet. However, if you are young and healthy, you may prefer a multi-floored home to accommodate a family within a smaller tract of land. That way you can have a master bedroom on the ground floor and the children’s bedrooms on the second or third floors.
- The price of a home will always be particularly important to the buyer. You will want to have a 36% debt to income ratio and enough income remaining for the size of mortgage needed to purchase your new home. If your income allows you to afford the home of your dreams, purchase the right home. Pay your mortgage off early if possible, saving as much as possible in your total expenditures.
- Must-haves include all those extras every homeowner wishing they could have. You may want an inground pool, outdoor entertainment area with a patio, gas grill, and outdoor kitchen, retractable awning, bay window, or a screened-in porch. There are loads of options that make a home even more appealing. Many of these extras can be added later if you have the room, so if the home fits all your other needs but lacks an extra, buy it anyway. It can always be added later.
- Heating and cooling systems are expensive, so unless you are extremely unsatisfied or really need to upgrade to solar energy, keep what you have until you’re ready to invest in upgrading.
Purchasing a new home is one of the most important purchases you will ever make. Be very thoughtful about your choice. Consider all the possibilities, hire a qualified inspection professional before closing, and request all the updates be made before signing on the dotted line.
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