Thinking About Buying a Home? Step #3: Finding the Perfect Home

Recently we have discussed how to get pre-qualified for your home loan, and how to select a real estate agent. This third step is all about how to find the perfect home for you. Once again I have called upon Vanessa Yan of Keller Williams & the blog Soulful Abode to share her expertise on this subject. Once you have read this post please check out her blog and subscribe, you won't be disappointed.

Things to Consider When Buying a Home

Buying a home isn’t just about a great kitchen or square footage. Though important, there are other factors to seriously consider.

1.      Can I Afford It? It’s funny how many people don’t keep this in mind. While you might have a loan approval for $500k, that doesn’t mean you need to go that high and spend at the top of your desired mortgage.

2.      The Neighborhood. Do you really want to be the biggest, nicest home on the block? Appraisers don’t think so.

3.      Square Footage. I’ve seen homes that were 1000 square feet that felt larger and had better floor plans that homes double the size. Don’t get bogged down by needing a certain square footage. My advise: have a 500 sq. ft. buffer. If you want a 2000 sq. ft house, consider homes in the 1500 sq. ft. range and see them in person to determine whether it’s really too small for you. 

4.      Blinded by Bling. The average cost of a gorgeous kitchen is between $15-20k. Do you really want to buy that house that’s asking $50k more than all the other houses you’ve looked at simply because you’re blinded by shine of the granite and stainless steel? The same goes for most other “bells and whistles” like new appliances, a new deck, new flooring, etc. If it’s in the house, you can do it yourself, choose what you really want and pay much less for it. 

5.      The Bones. This goes hand-in-hand with getting blinded by bling. The most important thing to consider when buying a home is the quality of the home. Are the bones good? If it’s in older home, chances are that the materials used to make that home are far superior and stronger than anything you can find today. Do you like the flow and layout of the house because everything within those four walls, like the kitchen and bath, is changeable. The quality of the house, however, is not.

6.      Doing an Open House Right. This goes along with tips 3 & 4. When walking through a house, don’t get blinding by professional staging and blingy kitchens. Look at the big picture. Do you like the home’s presence from the curb? Do you like the natural light? Is the living room large enough to accommodate the 3 kids and the 2 dogs? While staging is nice, it’s unlikely you’ll ever replicate professional staging if you were to buy the home. So think about how you really live, while walking through a home that designed to get you to buy.

For a great agent who can help you find beautiful homes that truly meet your needs and wants, contact Vanessa at www.SoulfulAbode.com