There’s so much riding on picking a new home that many people overthink things, spend time considering their decisions, and may lose out on buying the right place. How do you even know if the house you’re looking at will be a good home? What are the best signs to help you make your decision?
The Outside Draws You In
When you drive up to the house, you immediately want to see what it’s like inside, or in the yard. It appeals so strongly that you want to check out everything. Maybe you smile at the thought of coming back to the house, or walking in.
It Feels Comforting
Do you feel good when you walk in? Can you see yourself feeling safe and comfortable? You’re going to spend plenty of time in this house, so can you feel yourself instinctively relax in there? When you look at the bedrooms, the bathroom, the kitchen, how do you react to them? “This is fine,” might work for a rental, but if you’re buying, you want to feel, “Oh, this is nice.”
You’re Eager To Work On It
Unless the house is brand-new, you’re probably going to need to put in some work. Maybe the kitchen needs to be refinished, or the only thing the backyard is missing is a patio. Does the idea of doing that work excite you? Feel like an opportunity rather than a burden? Even if you’re not planning to do the work yourself, are you happy about the idea of fixing this or having the opportunity to change that? Even places that need a lot of remodeling or fixer-uppers can feel right, if you immediately have ideas of what you want to do with it.
You Think About How to Furnish and Decorate It
If your first thought when seeing a room is to think about what color you want to paint it, or where to put your couch and entertainment center, then that’s a sign you want to make this place your own. This is especially true if you see the previous owner’s furniture and want to move things around. If you find yourself stopping the tour to say, “Oh, I have just the thing to put here,” or “I can picture lounging in here,” those are good indicators this place is for you.
Fits Your Checklist
Every home-buyer should have a thoughtful, reasonable checklist of things you need to have. That list should have absolute requirements, things you would prefer, and things that would be nice but not necessary. If the house only meets of few of these items, you really need to think about how solid your basic requirements are. If, on the other hand, the house fills most of your checklist but you’re not sure about some small details, are you being too picky? Aren’t these things you can redecorate or remodel later?
It’s Your Yardstick
Every other place you see gets measured up to this house. Every time you say, “Well, the kitchen is smaller than the other house,” or “I liked the other yard better,” you should think about why you’re still looking. You obviously are dissatisfied with places that weren’t this house.
Keep Finding Reasons to Get It
Even if the house doesn’t meet all of your checklist, or there’s a room you don’t like, do you keep arguing with yourself or your partner about why it’s still a good deal? If you can easily convince yourself or someone else that you don’t need this place, that’s one thing. But if you keep trying to talk yourself into living there, why aren’t you already making an offer?
And when it comes time to move into your new house, remember to call Gerber Moving & Storage.
