First-Time Home Buyers Guide: Finding The Perfect House

Part of the excitement of buying your first home is the search. The looking around homes trying to imagine their potential is incredibly thrilling, especially when you find the perfect one. The process can take some time, however, and there are always sensible considerations that should be taken into account rather than allowing the excitement to take over. Read on to find what you need to consider before you make your offer to ensure that a property is actually the right choice for you.

Make a list of your priorities

Try and avoid letting your heart take over a decision about a property purchase by making a list of your priorities. These are the things that are really important to you. Think of features such as how many bedrooms you need, how much storage space you require or whether you need a parking space. Write these priorities down and take them with you when you view properties so that you are not tempted to forego them.

Get your finances in order

Finding the perfect home could come down to securing just an extra bit of funding. It is, therefore, important that you get your finances in order right from the start of your search. Know how much you could stretch to just in case you need to reach a bit higher with a potential offer. Make sure you have worked out your budget so that you know if you can afford to pay more and check a mortgage comparison site to work out how much you could potentially finance with a mortgage.

Location is everything

The location of your new home is extremely important. Firstly, you want to be in an area where you feel that you belong. There’s no point buying a home somewhere that doesn’t match up with what you need. Think about how you spend your free time. Do you like to visit coffee shops or take long walks? Try and make sure that the area you choose has something to offer in terms of how you like to spend your leisure time. Also, think about what you might need in the future. Will you need to be near good schools in the future or will you perhaps need good transport links? Why not take a look at our beginner’s guide to buying your first property and see what other advice we have.

Learn everything you can about the property

Remember, that you need to hold your excitement back, even when you think that you have found the perfect property. You can’t allow yourself to get carried away. Find out everything that you can about the property so that you can be sure there aren’t any problems that you aren’t aware of. An inspection will be a condition of your mortgage but that won’t tell you if there are noisy neighbours or if the local schools have received good reports. Really investigate your property and the local area so that you can be confident in your decision.