Finding the right home for you and your family can be a challenge. To make the process quick and easy, it’s a good idea to lay out all your options in front of you and do your research so you can find the best home.
1. List Your Wants and Needs
Many factors play a role in buying a home. One thing that helps is to distinguish between your wants and needs.
Needs are things such as the number of bedrooms or bathrooms, what appliances come with the home, or even if you need a garage for your cars.
Wants are home features that would be nice to have, but that you could live without.
One great way to figure out what you most want in a house is to fill out a home buying wish list. See Below:
You might even want to use an Instagram wish list like the one below to see what your friends and family like about their homes.
This will help you stay organized during your search, making it easier for you to communicate your wants and needs to your real estate agent.
2. List What You Don’t Want
Picture your disaster home and write down everything that entails. Maybe you don’t want a pool, you want to avoid certain design styles, or it’s a deal-breaker if a home doesn’t have enough counterspace. When you understand what you don’t want in a home, you can quickly check off unsuitable housing candidates.
This being said, you don’t want to be too picky. If a home has a closed concept living room when you want an open concept one, knock it off the list. But if it’s an easy fix like the color of the door or some flooring, still keep the home in mind but maybe consider others as well. This will help you easily narrow down your search and save time.
3. Find The Best Location
It can be difficult to decide on where you want your first home to be located. Whether you feel you may be better off moving somewhere new or moving right around the corner, it’s better to establish that early so that you can narrow down your search and have a clear idea of what you are looking for.
Other things to consider include how close you may want to be to a school or if you prefer private gated communities for you and your family.
4. Talk to Your Real Estate Team
Once you have all of your home buying priorities established and written out, it is now time to show them to your real estate team. Having house wish lists ready for them to look over will slim down your list of homes, making your search more easy and time efficient.
As you search for a new home for you and your family, it is essential that you lay out your options and choose what is best for you. Whether you pay more attention to the location or how newly renovated the house is, it’s entirely up to you and your family as you will be the ones living there.
Make sure all your needs are met and you are happy with your final decision. Happy house hunting!
Printable Home Buying Wish List
