Choosing The Right Home
Selecting the right home to purchase requires many decisions. First, you must decide which areas meet your needs. At today's gas prices you will want to be as close to work as possible. If you have children, proximity to schools, their sports activities or their music and dance lessons may also be of importance. Other considerations will be the neighbourhood itself. Are there playmates for your children? Is it a busy area or a quiet one? Will you feel a sense of belonging?
Next you must decide how large a home you really need. If you buy something too small, you will be uncomfortable. You will want sufficient storage for your needs. There will also be a minimum number of bedrooms. Try to get at least two bathrooms just to increase resaleability. Be careful to keep the home as small as you can feel at home in. Larger homes mean more housekeeping and often higher heat bills. Of course, heat bills are a largely variable item. The amount of insulation, quality of the windows and which direction the sun exposure is, all matter.
Decide if you are a gardener or not. If you are, you will likely be happiest with a large flat lot. If you are not a gardener that type of lot will only be work to you. So, if you would rather go camping or boating in the summer, choose the small easy care lot. Speaking of campers and boats, keep in mind what your parking needs are. Not all subdivisions allow RV parking, so be sure to tell your realtor if you have an RV so they can check out the legal situation for you.
A major issue to consider is the resale factor. Certain areas have a much better track record than others. Beware of areas with lots of rentals. They are often noisy and frequently have higher crime rates. Also impacting resale is the design of the home. Most designs are acceptable but be cautious about choosing a home that is overly unique. Unusual translates to a lower number of people who will find the home desirable and therefore it negatively impacts resale. A few things to try to stay clear of, are fireplaces that block views, undersized kitchens, bedroom layouts that won't accept a typical bedroom suite, homes with choppy design and homes with bathrooms oddly located.
You will know your own taste but accept the input of an experienced realtor when it comes to the resale question. They definitely know what the best advice is to give you. After you have considered all these other factors, there is still one more. Ask yourself if the home you are selecting feels right. People sell houses, but they buy homes. You have to feel that it's the right place for you if you are going to be happy living there.
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