Home Buying 101
Updated: Feb 1, 2020
Buying a home is an exciting and scary thing! There's lots of money involved and everyone deserves to get their dream home at a reasonable price. So, what's YOUR dream home? Below are a few steps to help you winnow down the process:
1. What are you needs? A newly married couple's needs are going to be far different than the family of six. So think about your "needs" not only in today's terms but down the road. You're looking for a home that will suit you for the next 5 to 7 years, so think about your future when setting the needs you want to serve.
For example, an individual who works from home 3 days a week may want a truly stand alone home office equipped with CAT5 cabling whereas another person who only uses a home office to pay monthly bills would be comfortable with utilizing an extra bedroom.
Most needs come in the form of:
# of bedrooms
# of bathrooms
kitchen layout
available garage space
2. Once you have your needs sorted, let's think about "Wants". Everyone would love a cook's kitchen with a Wolf 8 burner stove and a pot filler, but those items can add plenty of dollars to the cost. Most homebuyers list of "wants" include:
Walk in closets
Open kitchen with plenty of storage space
A space separated from the main living area for a man cave, a kid's play space and the like
Large yard
Neighborhood amenities - the ability to walk to cafes and restaurants, parks and recreation
3. After you've come up with your "needs" and "wants" list, share that with your realtor. Most realtors can suss out what you can get in each of these lists and stay within your budget.
Finally, make a list of "No Gos". If you absolutely DO NOT WANT A POOL, let your realtor know she he/she can avoid taking you to those kinds of properties.
