Purchasing your dream home soon? Do you know what you should look for when searching for your next home? Would you like some tips for purchasing your dream home? Daniel and I are choosing between purchasing our dream home and renting an apartment. The first thing of course we ask ourselves, How much home can we afford to purchase? We’re leaning towards renting an apartment. Paying down debt and saving for our wedding hasn’t left much room in the budget to save for a home purchase. Regardless of whether you’re thinking of purchasing a home or renting an apartment, the tips that expert Elizabeth Dodson shared with us will work for you whether you’re newly engaged, newlyweds, married or in the “let’s move in” phase of your life. Read on for 6 tips Elizabeth advises newlyweds should think about when purchasing their first home.
There are some obvious things to consider when buying a house like price, size and room quantities to support your family. However, some other considerations come to mind that may not always be at the top of your mind when considering a new home.
Work Commute
Spending time with your family is often overlooked when you need to manage your commute to work. Whether you are close to the office or far, this could impact the available time left to spend with your family. If you have a short commute you can make it home for dinner or attend your children’s after school events. Long work commutes can also create undue stress that might result in frustration when you arrive at the office or arrive back at home that evening.
School Districts
If you have children or are planning on having children, knowing which school districts your children will attend and the caliber of those schools can make a difference in the overall education and influences in your child’s life. Gathering detailed information about the schools, both public and private, in your potential new area will help develop a strategy on how you want your children educated.
Neighborhood Surroundings
Take a look at the neighborhood and where you would go to the grocery store. Are their farmer’s markets? Is your home close to services like religious services, dry cleaning, nail salons, workout facilities, physician offices and more. If you like to play a more active role in your community, these types of services can become outlets to making new friends and learning more about your neighborhood. When considering your neighborhood, also review the entertainment facilities like movie theatres, outdoor venues, restaurants and parks. These types of facilities might be important to you when moving to a new community.
Food for thought: How are you purchasing your dream home?
Best Time to Buy
You may be more flexible when buying a new home or you might be in a position where a job promotion or relocation is crucial to your moving date. However, most times, you have the ability to manage your move date. Take into consideration your children’s school year, weather conditions … too much snow can make it challenging to move, your job and its projects, your ability to get your belongings packed and organized.
Windows
Many people think that windows do not have that big an impact on buying a home. However, a home with a lot of windows in a sunny location needs coverings or blinds to help manage the sun and therefore the heat inside your home. Single pane windows are older windows which can cause challenges in cold and warm areas forcing your HVAC units to work harder during extreme weather conditions. Moving into a home with single pane windows might force you to consider replacing the windows which can be a large expense.
Review the Home During Different Times During the Day
A home has a different appearance during different times of the day. Morning sun might illuminate in a particular part of the home that may be a wonderful advantage or one that causes a lot of heat in a very popular room for the family. Evening sun can have a similar effect. Where the light hits the home during different parts of the day could impact your comfort in your home.
Each of these considerations are easy to add to your list of considerations when buying a home and can help you get the home you will love.
If you’ve recently purchased a home or rented an apartment, what were the things you considered before calling the place your home? If you’re currently looking to purchase your dream home, what else can you add to the list?
Until then,
About Elizabeth Dodson
Co-Founder at HomeZada | Business Development | Partner & Channel Management | Cloud Computing | Sales & Marketing
Ms. Dodson is the co-Founder of online home management software company, HomeZada. Ms. Dodson is responsible for the business management, sales and marketing, and partner relationships involved in running HomeZada.