Sometimes it’s love at first open house
Being on your guard during a home search is certainly important. After all, no one wants to be handed the keys only to have a nasty surprise waiting for them in the form of extensive repairs or other home headaches. However, it’s also important to keep in mind that finding a new house is supposed to be exciting! You should feel good about the house you’re about to call home.
If you’ve found a house you love, and you’re wondering if it’s the right one for you, here are some green flags that are telling you it’s all systems go for making an offer.
Location is everything in real estate. The house itself might be perfect, but if it’s not in an area that’s convenient for your lifestyle, then it’s not the right house for you. While the house itself is also obviously important, you can renovate and rearrange your home to a point, as long as you have a solid foundation. It’s much harder to move your dream home to a new location.
If the property in question checks many of your boxes and is in an amazing neighborhood that offers a good commute, great school district, vibrant nightlife, or any other desirables, then this house deserves your utmost attention.
Real estate is a big investment, and you wouldn’t be the first homeowner to stretch your budget to get the home you want. But be careful not to go too far and go out of your budget’s comfort zone. While giving up nightly takeout to cook at home is a reasonable strategy for saving money, you wouldn’t want to strap yourself completely for the sake of your mortgage.
It’s always wise to make some wiggle room in their home expenses in case of emergency. While you want to be positive about your new place, you have to account for any repairs you’ll need to make after moving in, as well as some money in case of other unexpected life events.
If the home in question fits within your budget while also allowing you some financial wiggle room to live your life, it’s worth some serious consideration.
There’s a big difference between a wish list and a must-have list for your home search. Must-haves are the basic spaces and features you need to live comfortably, while the wish list contains the things that would be great to have but aren’t as essential.
Your absolute dream home might check off everything on both lists, but you want to find one that at least covers your must-have list—and if it doesn’t completely, you should be fine with making some compromises.
Sometimes all it takes is being in a space to realize what you like and need. You’ll know you’ve found the right home if it checks off everything on your must-haves list—or if it doesn’t check off absolutely everything, you’re not complaining.
Sure, a home with a new HVAC system doesn’t offer the same allure as a brand-new kitchen, but both are extensive projects with hefty price tags—wouldn’t you rather the previous owner handled them instead?
You might want to make some changes and upgrades to make the space your own, but there’s a lot to be said for buying a home that already checks off major tasks on the to-do list. The cost of refacing your kitchen cabinets will look a lot better when you know you don’t also have to add on the cost of replacing your roof.
When it comes to your new home, you should be able to imagine yourself in the space, arranging it with your own furniture and decor choices. Even better? If you can see yourself and other members of your household using the space for work, play, entertaining, relaxing, or just about anything else you want to use your home for. These are all sure-fire signs that this house could be the right one for you.
“You’ll just know” typically isn’t the most helpful advice when you’re getting ready to plop down a sizable down payment on a home. However, if you’ve got a good gut feeling about a home, it should encourage you to make an offer.
Maybe you’ve found yourself comparing other homes to your top choice. Maybe you don’t even want to look at other homes after seeing the one that stole your heart. After seeing a particular property, you feel that you simply aren’t motivated to keep looking; this might be the sign that it’s time to put in an offer.
