This is Part I of a two-part House Hunting blog series. Please click here to read Part II, and to find out more about the important residential property features you should weigh when searching for a new home!
Depending on how you approach it, house hunting can either be an extremely enjoyable endeavor — or a supremely stressful undertaking. What separates the good house hunting journeys from the bad typically boils down to whether you, as the prospective buyer, have considered the property features that you regard as most important for your future home to have. From basics like the number of square feet and bedrooms to the nitty-gritty specifics of interior design, how can anyone know which features in a potential home buy should be prioritized?
With more than two decades of experience in real estate, house hunting pros Brandon & Lana are here to help you by sharing some of their industry knowledge. In the first installment of this two-part home buying guide, we’ll address the eight property specs that every homeowner — or future homeowner — should consider before making a final decision to close a deal on a residential property.
For more information on best practices when buying a home, or to schedule a free buyer’s consultation, please visit our site and contact Brandon & Lana today!
Essential 8 Traits Of A Great Home
As mentioned, there is no shortage of factors to consider when assessing a potential home buy, whether it’s your first time venturing out into the real estate market, or your fifth go-around with sellers, agents, and showings. Regardless of past experience, virtually any home buyer can identify the domestic bliss they seek by making sure their future home meets their personal criteria for the following 8 traits:
- Size
- Location
- Number & Type of Rooms
- Kitchen Design & Layout
- Appliances
- House History & Age Of Property
- Price
- Why It’s Being Sold
In this initial installment of our two-part blog series, we’ll be discussing the first four fundamentals on the list above: Size, Location, Number & Type of Rooms, and Kitchen Design & Layout. To read about the remaining four features that are essential to identifying your future dream home, please refer to Part II of our House Hunting blog series.
House Size
The square footage of a listed residential property won’t necessarily give you a comprehensive understanding of how much room it really affords, as open-concept layouts tend to maximize floor space more effectively than, say, a vaulted ceiling with tons of support beams. That being said, the “sq. ft.” listed on the house’s spec sheet can give you some indication of how much property you have to play around with designing — and dusting.
Residential Property Location
You know what they say about real estate: location is everything! But that’s also true of an individual perspective on any given property, whether it’s the long-term rental of an apartment or the purchase of a multi-bedroom home that you can truly call your own.
When assessing properties as a prospective home buyer, you’ll want to weigh the location of the house as well as the community and environment in which it’s situated. Does the local populace seem friendly, or would you expect the neighbors to keep to themselves? Can you identify any public parks or schools nearby that are likely to attract families, and if so, what age of children might they have? The demographics, culture, and surrounding recreational opportunities are just as critical to your future contentment as your domicile itself, so be sure you heartily consider both before you ink your signature on any deed of ownership.
Number and Type of Rooms In The House
You may think that, when assessing local houses for sale, you and possibly a partner will be the only ones living there. That may very well be true at the moment, but what if you decide to start a family in ten years? What if a family member or dear friend needs a place to rest or recover from sickness, injury, or financial strain?
Granted, these are extreme examples, but the extremity offers a good method of illuminating the importance of room count in a residential home. In the same way, the types of rooms included under a roof matter a great deal too. If you currently work from home or plan to do so later in life, make sure there’s a spare room you can convert into an office. If you intend to host lots of dinner parties or summertime barbecues, then perhaps you’ll prioritize the living room, kitchen, and backyard areas.
At the end of the day, you never really know what the future holds, but having a sense of comfort will always be important, so be sure the number of rooms and their designated function can accommodate that feeling and provide you with it for the long haul.
Kitchen Design & Layout
Soup’s on! Well, not yet, but it could be soon.
As the rather unclever advertising slogan goes: “If you lived here, you’d be home by now.” When visiting a property that you view as a potential home for you and your family, consider whether the kitchen is a home you’d like to return to after a long day of work. After all, everyone needs to eat, and they usually do so three times per day if not more often.
With that in mind, your future home buy should possess a kitchen that you will genuinely enjoy cooking and eating in, day after day, year after year, and dish after dish. Look at the layout of the kitchen, the amenities it includes, the furniture or renovations it may need to feel complete. If you go to an open house and find that you’re smitten with its kitchen for the backsplash, island, and hardwood floors, but you immediately cringe at the aging appliances, this shouldn’t necessarily be a deal breaker. You can always buy a new stove if you budget smartly for a few months, but a hardwood floor replacement? You might as well buy a new car to match the price tag.
Still House Hunting? Read Part II To Stay On The Best Course!
In this article, Part I of our special two-part House Hunting blog series, we covered the first four essential features that every home buyer should look for when touring and inspecting listed residential properties. To read about the remaining four features not addressed in this blog, please go to Part II of this blog series now. While you’re at it, be sure to schedule a free home buyer’s consultation with Brandon & Lana! Having a few buyer’s agents on your side will only bode well for your journey to find the perfect future abode.
