Most people want a home that really feels like a home. A place that is theirs, that they feel comfortable to be themselves in. Purchasing a home can be exciting but also stressful. When searching for that perfect place, you aren’t just looking at what is physically there. You are looking for potential. A knocked down wall there, a loft conversion, etc. here. Also, everything needs to be considered within certain budget constraints. A really obvious fixer-upper could work out as the most cost-effective way to buy a house. So, before you go on your search, you need to decide what you are prepared to put up with.
What does a perfect home look like to you?
You must have a rough idea of where you want to live, in terms of location. Also, you need to know what the home comes with. You may want an apartment in a huge apartment block overseeing the city and everyday life. Or you have to have a house with a garden of your own. You need to think about the number of rooms you want, and how much work you are prepared to invest in the house, for example. If you want something that needs no work, do you have the budget for it? Get together with your partner and create a list of must haves, would be nice’s, and no gos.
Search and search some more
You need to be prepared to put in a lot of hours to search for the perfect home. Start – where everyone starts these days – online. Extend your search area out to the upper limit of where you are prepared to live. The wider the radius, the better chance you have of finding that perfect place. Then it would help if you viewed as many houses as possible that fit into your criteria. Along the way, you will get a better and more fixed idea of what constitutes a perfect house for you, that is based on the reality of what is out there. You will discover where the best bargains are located, and you will understand the valuation of certain areas better. That means that when a real bargain in a better off area comes up, you will be able to pounce and get the first viewing. Try and book several viewing in one day with the real estate agent. Also, when you find somewhere, have a look at the area and find out what other houses around go for.
Think outside the box
If you are having real difficulties finding the perfect home, perhaps you need to get a bit creative. There are options where you could purchase a piece of land and have that special place built for you, places such as Lowe Design Build can sort this out for you. You could think about possible extensions if there is somewhere you like, but it is just too small. There are also things like loft conversions, and basement conversions, or even having a basement dug out of the earth. What about garage conversions too? When you go into the house, you may be thinking to knock that wall down, but a load-bearing wall may cause you a problem. However, that does not mean that a professional can’t arrange this for you, by adding an ultra-strong beam to carry the weight above it. A renovation project can completely alter the feel of the house.
Ask questions and negotiate
Do not be afraid to ask the agent as many questions as possible. At the end of the day, you need to make sure that what you can see if all there is to know. Ask about the history of the house, if there are any problems in the areas, what the neighbors are like. Most people will do this anyway, but visit the house and watch the neighborhood to get a feel for what it is like. If there are any problems, you need to know before you make an offer that is accepted and go into the negotiation knowing this. Look how long the house has been on the market and then you know how long they have been trying to sell it for. If it is above budget, make a low offer, all that can happen is they refuse it. Do not go over your budget. If it is too much, there will be other houses. And, finally, get a thorough inspection done on the house, you need to know the state of the house before you move in, and you can use this to your advantage if there are any issues.
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