The home buying process is definitely one that you need to think about making a checklist for. While you may list the most basic items for the type of home you want, do not forget to make a checklist of other important amenities as well.
1. Type of Housing
You know that you want a house and that is great, but homes come in all shapes and sizes. You need to know if you prefer to have a one, two, or even a three story home. The actual size of your home will be important as well. Do you want a home that is wide or small? Is there are certain number of windows that you would like? How large do you want the windows to be? Do you prefer a basement or not?
You will need to ask yourself quite a few questions such as these, especially if there is a specific type of home you want. More items you will need to put on your list will be the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and office area that you want. Even choosing the type of attic you want is important. Some homes simply have an attic that is part of an upstairs closet, as opposed to the traditional attic.
Ask yourself what you need to have in your home and be sure to account for what your family needs as well, if you are buying a family home.
2. Area
It is a good idea to know exactly where you want to live or at least the type of area in which you want to live. Do you like the wide open country or do you prefer fast-paced city life? Depending on your answer you have a good idea where to search. You can also narrow down areas for reasons such as choosing to live close to where you work, which can save you money down the road.
Once you get the city or country idea you can move onto the neighborhood that you would want. The neighborhood is basically considered the permanent residence of your home. Be sure that you check out each neighborhood thoroughly so that you have an overall idea as to whether or not you will be content with you or your family living there. You can also talk to neighbors in the area and get an idea of how they like living there.
Is the neighborhood relatively quiet or loud most of the time? It is always a good idea to know about this before you move in and get a big surprise. Get to know more about the neighborhood by looking into events or if there are neighborhood-run programs. Some neighborhoods will do this as a way to let everyone get to know each other and keep the community close.
3. Convenience of Location
You should also be aware of how convenient the location of your home is to other places such as hospitals, grocery stores, schools, and even gas stations. The convenience of having these places can be very important if you have families that need to travel to these places often. It will be easier for you during daily commutes as well.
4. Impressions
Sometimes with home buying, going with your first impression can be good thing. When you first visit a home you should take a moment to see how you initially feel about the home, its placement in the neighborhood, and the atmosphere of that neighborhood. If you get bad vibes from the moment you take a look at it, trust those instincts, but keep an open mind as well.
Before you go close to the home, walk around the property while inspecting the outside of the home. Really take a look at the yard and just how much it covers. Is it mainly a front and back yard or does the yard include both sides of the home? While taking note of the yard, look at the foundation of the home carefully. You should look for the type of brickwork that is there and if there are any cracks or holes that are immediately noticed. If possible, you should try to get a good view of the room as well.
The overall point of gaining your first impression is to see how you honestly feel about the home. Can you imagine coming home to a home that looks the way it does on the outside. Keep in mind that looking on the inside will come later. Focus more on the look of the home and yard at the moment.
5. Visit Often
If it is possible to view a particular home you are interested in, a number of times before making your final decision, then be sure that you take up any chance to do so. You will never notice everything that you need to on the first viewing so it is better to have another in which you can take your time and go through each room and look around the outside of the home as well.
The more you visit, the more you may notice amenities that you did not notice the first time. In fact, it is a great idea to bring your checklist with you. Make a few copies so that you can have some for each home your visit. For each one, check off any of the items that you see the home offers. It is a great way to know exactly what each home has to offer so that you can compare your notes later on.
Keep these five items in mind when you are touring homes and you can essentially help save yourself some stress when it comes to finding the home want in the home buying process.
