If you are making a home purchase for the first-time, you may be surprised by how many things you need to consider. No doubt, you didn’t realize that your “must-have” list can grow to over 20 design features as the home search period stretches into months. So to give you a head-start when you begin to search for your new home, I have developed the following list of things for you to consider. And by the time you actually make your home purchase, you will most likely have narrowed that list down to just a handful of key things that are truly important to you. Such is the irony in the home search process. Here goes (in no particular order):
1. List price
2. Taxes
3. Town
4. Schools
5. Busy Street vs. “Neighborhood”
6. Number of Bedrooms
7. Size of Bedrooms
8. Number of Bathrooms
9. Master Bathroom
10. Powder Room on 1st Floor
11. Hardwood Floors
12. Basement (Finished or Unfinished)
13. Ceiling Height of Basement (can you actually stand in the basement?)
14. Laundry Area (First Floor, Second Floor or in the basement)
15. Closets
16. Number of Bedrooms on Same Floor (e.g. Cape Cod homes typically have 2 bedrooms on first floor and 2 bedrooms on the second floor)
17. Central Air
18. Oil Tank (above or below ground) vs. Gas Heat
19. New windows
20. Fireplace
21. Open Floor Plan Design
22. Updated Appliances (Gas stove vs. electric)
23. Eat-In Kitchen
24. Renovated Kitchen
25. Renovated Bathrooms
26. Level Backyard (Fenced-in?)
27. Garage (2 vs. 1 Car)
28. Garage (Attached vs. Detached)
29. Flat Driveway
30. Driveway (Single vs. Double Car Width? Shared with Neighbor?)
31. Porch (Front Porch or Back Porch)
32. Deck or Patio
33. First Floor Den or Family Room
34. Move-in Ready
35. Overall Condition of the Home (including Roof, AC, etc.)
36. Pool
37. Landscaping and Retaining Walls
38. Proximity to Public Transportation (walk to train?)
39. Proximity to Schools (walking distance?)
40. Days on Market (DOM)
Leave a Reply