Is Your Dream Home a Good Deal?

Mar 29, 2017

Buying

You've found a great home!  It’s an amazing neighborhood, the price is right, but is this home really your dream home? Well, there’s no one correct answer or even a single way to determine the answer to that question.

You might want to combine listening to your emotions and also turning to the facts which will help you paint a clear picture of what life would be like in this new home. Here are a few tips for determining if the home you really like is the one that you’ll love forever.

Listen to Yourself—Literally
Your reaction when you see and walk through the home is an important indicator of how you feel about the home.  A home is a good fit when people start talking about furniture as they’re previewing the home.

Often, buyers form an impression in the first few seconds after they walk into a home. Is this a happy home? Or is it depressing? What's your response?  Then, trust your reactions,

If you’re looking at a number of homes, take notes on how you felt as you walked through immediately after you leave. These notes will be helpful as you look back and compare emotions with features, needs-met, etc.

Ask Yourself: How much of my “priority list” is compromised?
If you are like most Buyers, you have a list of non-negotiable items you carry with you when you go home-hunting.  Number of bedrooms, number of baths, is it an open floor plan, is the backyard private, is it a quiet street?  How many items can you check off that list? If you find that you’re compromising on more than half of the items that matter most to you, it may not be your dream home—even if you love the style or location.

But it’s important to make sure you’re not confusing must-haves with preferences!  So, be sure to decide which things are preferences and which items are real needs.  Buyers may have to realize what they thought was a 'need,' was actually more of a 'want' and switch their visual expectations a bit to get the things that really mattered most.

Do Your Homework on the DATA -

Buying a home is emotional—stressful, frustrating, exciting, scary, and more, all at once. When deciding if a potential house is your dream home, it’s important not to get too wrapped up in the emotion and take time to check out the data. You can’t deny the facts so work to get comfortable with a number of factors.

How will the home appreciate? - Your Realtor can help you out with this factor.

Is the home accessible?  If you want to be within walking distance to stores, retailers, restaurants and parks, check that out.

Is the house over-priced? - Again, your Realtor can help you out with this factor.

Is the area loud or is it a quiet space? 

Learn More About The Community
Whether you’re a single homeowner or a family of four, the community surrounding your home will be a big part of your life.  So, you need to know as much about the Community as possible. Do your research, and look up everything that’s most important to you, including:

Crime rates
School quality and availability
Public transportation—school buses too; Do they come to the neighborhood to pick up your children?
Commute to work—Is there a lot of traffic in the morning or at night?

Finding your dream home can be very difficult, but when you tune into your emotions, check out facts and stay true to your list of needs, the process is easier. Be sure to utilize these tips to make the best decision and find the home you’ll love forever. Happy Searching!!!