6 must-have features for your next home
What's missing from your current home? Storage space? Decent parking? Privacy?
There's no such thing as too much storage
No one ever walked out of an open house thinking, "Nice place, but too many closets." Visually strip away the furniture in a for-sale home and place your furniture and belongings. Or simply measure -- both the rooms and the closets -- and compare it to what you have now. Ditto for kitchen cupboards, pantries and counter space. Those counter tops may look spacious until you get out all of your kitchen toys and discover there's not enough room, he says. Really look at a kitchen in terms of what you need when you cook to make sure the home offers the counter space you need.
Test the commute BEFORE you commit
It could be the Saturday night party house, the guy who believes Sundays were made for leaf blowing or the kid who practices the tuba 24/7. Every neighborhood has its eccentrics, and you need to know if you can live with them. One of the best ways to find out what's going on in the neighborhood is to chat up the neighbors, find out if there are any existing neighborhood problems and concerns of the people who live there.
Make sure you have enough power and water
Most people flip lights and faucets on and off when they tour a home just to make sure they get the expected result. But that's hardly the test of whether the water pipes or electric wiring will meet your needs. You'll need to determine if the plumbing and wiring can accommodate your lifestyle.
Flipping a bedroom light on and off doesn't compare to a busy morning with two blow-dryers and an electric shaver running while the microwave heats breakfast, the air conditioning clicks on and the TV blasts the traffic report.
And if you are showering while someone does laundry and a third person flushes the toilet, will you feel a drop in pressure or a blast of cold water? With water, you can run a few things at one time and see how the home handles the pressure.
As for the electrical systems, you might want to talk to your home inspector. Explain that there are X number of people in the family who may use electricity simultaneously and ask if it will hold up.
Don't forget a home for your car
It's a great home for you, but does it fit your car? If you have a condo or apt, is there a designated spot and if so, go look at it. Some HOA's have specific rules and regulations that you need to adhere to, find them out and ask yourself if they fit for your lifestyle and family.
How much do you love your neighbor?
Privacy is a factor that some buyers overlook until it's too late. If you're in the bathroom, are you staring into your neighbor's shower? Spend some time in the house. The goal is to get the feeling of what it's like to really live in the house before you actually buy it. Do a quick test run and think about the home and what you plan to do there. Then take an hour and walk through your experience of how you live in the house in a day. You should ask yourself if the home suits both you and the way you plan to live.
There's no such thing as too much storage
No one ever walked out of an open house thinking, "Nice place, but too many closets." Visually strip away the furniture in a for-sale home and place your furniture and belongings. Or simply measure -- both the rooms and the closets -- and compare it to what you have now. Ditto for kitchen cupboards, pantries and counter space. Those counter tops may look spacious until you get out all of your kitchen toys and discover there's not enough room, he says. Really look at a kitchen in terms of what you need when you cook to make sure the home offers the counter space you need.
Test the commute BEFORE you commit
You're only 15 miles from work. How long is that in traffic time? Try the commute a few times, driving both ways, before you buy, at the times you would be normally commuting.
How well will you "fit in" with the neighborhood
Make sure you have enough power and water
Most people flip lights and faucets on and off when they tour a home just to make sure they get the expected result. But that's hardly the test of whether the water pipes or electric wiring will meet your needs. You'll need to determine if the plumbing and wiring can accommodate your lifestyle.
Flipping a bedroom light on and off doesn't compare to a busy morning with two blow-dryers and an electric shaver running while the microwave heats breakfast, the air conditioning clicks on and the TV blasts the traffic report.
And if you are showering while someone does laundry and a third person flushes the toilet, will you feel a drop in pressure or a blast of cold water? With water, you can run a few things at one time and see how the home handles the pressure.
As for the electrical systems, you might want to talk to your home inspector. Explain that there are X number of people in the family who may use electricity simultaneously and ask if it will hold up.
Don't forget a home for your car
It's a great home for you, but does it fit your car? If you have a condo or apt, is there a designated spot and if so, go look at it. Some HOA's have specific rules and regulations that you need to adhere to, find them out and ask yourself if they fit for your lifestyle and family.
How much do you love your neighbor?
Privacy is a factor that some buyers overlook until it's too late. If you're in the bathroom, are you staring into your neighbor's shower? Spend some time in the house. The goal is to get the feeling of what it's like to really live in the house before you actually buy it. Do a quick test run and think about the home and what you plan to do there. Then take an hour and walk through your experience of how you live in the house in a day. You should ask yourself if the home suits both you and the way you plan to live.
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