Tip Tuesday: Make Your Home Search More Efficient
House hunting, both looking online and actually getting inside the houses you're considering, is probably the most fun part of buying a home. But it can also be the most tedious. Unless you really know what you want, it can turn into a seemingly never-ending search and you can end up frustrated. This is only made worse when you have more people (spouse, children, live in parents, etc) who have wants and needs of their own to consider.
I have a trick for you that helps narrow the search and makes sure everyone's needs are met without breaking the bank.
First, have everyone who is a decision maker in buying your home make a list of everything they want in a home. Think about what you or your family must have in a home, like location, number of bedrooms and size of the home. Then, think about what you want, like a big (or small!) yard, garage space, a chef's kitchen, or an office. Usually these are things that are desirable but would't be a deal breaker if one was missing.
Once you've got a list the length of your arm, prioritize it to get to your top eight. You'll probably find that wants fall off the list because the house can always be updated to include these things later, but the things that can't change like location and number of bedrooms will stick. When you each have your list down to eight, come together and talk through your lists to make a master list. Your goal is to have only five items on the master list.
That may seem like an impossible task given your very different lists, but it will get the conversation started. Talking through your lists helps you see that you probably have pretty similar ideas on what you really need but may not be communicating them in the same way. You may find it very easy to get five "must haves" met by one list item once you realize that basement, big garage, walk in closet and spare bedroom really all just your family's way of saying storage space.
You may also find that some of the things that seemed like a big deal about a house can be changed. When my husband and I did this exercise for our current home, we actually got it down to three - location, yard size and the house being structurally sound. I love a good project, so we realized that for us, anything else could be changed. That may or may not be the case for you and your family, but this is a great way to find out!
Searching for homes is exciting and I want to offer my services if you need help. As an agent, I can expedite the search process for you, get you into houses outside of open house times, and give my expert opinion on any homes you might be looking at.
Happy hunting!
I have a trick for you that helps narrow the search and makes sure everyone's needs are met without breaking the bank.
First, have everyone who is a decision maker in buying your home make a list of everything they want in a home. Think about what you or your family must have in a home, like location, number of bedrooms and size of the home. Then, think about what you want, like a big (or small!) yard, garage space, a chef's kitchen, or an office. Usually these are things that are desirable but would't be a deal breaker if one was missing.
Once you've got a list the length of your arm, prioritize it to get to your top eight. You'll probably find that wants fall off the list because the house can always be updated to include these things later, but the things that can't change like location and number of bedrooms will stick. When you each have your list down to eight, come together and talk through your lists to make a master list. Your goal is to have only five items on the master list.
That may seem like an impossible task given your very different lists, but it will get the conversation started. Talking through your lists helps you see that you probably have pretty similar ideas on what you really need but may not be communicating them in the same way. You may find it very easy to get five "must haves" met by one list item once you realize that basement, big garage, walk in closet and spare bedroom really all just your family's way of saying storage space.
You may also find that some of the things that seemed like a big deal about a house can be changed. When my husband and I did this exercise for our current home, we actually got it down to three - location, yard size and the house being structurally sound. I love a good project, so we realized that for us, anything else could be changed. That may or may not be the case for you and your family, but this is a great way to find out!
Searching for homes is exciting and I want to offer my services if you need help. As an agent, I can expedite the search process for you, get you into houses outside of open house times, and give my expert opinion on any homes you might be looking at.
Happy hunting!
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