What to Look for in a New Home – Part 1

If you are embarking upon the search for a new home — maybe even your first — congratulations! This is an exciting time. Certainly there will be stresses and a lot to think about as you make this life transition, but a new home is also a fresh start, an opportunity to see the world from a new vantage point (literally), and a chance to reconfigure your lifestyle. Amidst all the home-viewing, number-crunching and paper-signing, keep that perspective and seize the day.

Although you cannot control what options are available when you decide to look for a house, it is a good idea to sit down and think through what you are hoping to find. Balance ideals with reality by describing your dream home and making a list of its characteristics. Then you can go back over that check-list and separate the preferences from the priorities. A realty counselor can then guide your optimism accordingly.

So what is important to you? If this is your first home, maybe you have no clue at all! Start with the basics. How many bedrooms do you need? Do you want to have an office? A recreation room? A separate dining room? How many bathrooms? There is only so much square footage to go around, so you’ll want to decide what is most crucial. Perhaps a separate dining room is a romantic thought, but would you sacrifice a rec room to get it? A walk-in closet might be nice, but what if it means you can not have an ensuite? Think these things through and keep flexible. Often a house will come along with a layout you had not considered and be a pleasant surprise.

Layout includes the outdoors as well. Do you need a wide driveway? A garage? What if there is no garage but there is a tool shed? Maybe that is all a garage ends up being for you anyway! Do you need a lot of yard space? Would you rather it be in the front or the back? Do you need a fence? Are you hoping to do a lot of gardening, or as little yard-work as possible?

Often none of these things will make or break the decision for you, but you want to think through them anyway, especially if you are house-shopping with someone else. If you do not air your preferences you might find yourselves with different first impressions and not know why. And since house hunting and home buying can be stressful on any relationship, open communication from the start can make all the difference.

Other things to consider include the structure of the home. Are you looking for two or more floors or just one level? Do you want a lot of natural light in the place? Newer carpeting and cupboards? If it feels like the kitchen will be a crucial area in your home, do you want a spacious kitchen or can you live with something a little bit tighter if that frees up other space?

Of course there will be other factors to consider, including price, location, and construction, but these aesthetic and practical concerns always weigh in on the decision as well, so it is best to think them through. If you figure out ahead of time what you are looking for in a new home, you will recognize it far more readily when you see it.

Stay tuned next month for another article in this 3 part series on what to look for in a new home!

Read Part 2 >>>

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