If you are making a home purchase for the first time, you may be surprised by how many things you need to consider. No doubt, you didn’t realize that your “must-have” list can grow to over 20 design features as the home search period stretches into months. So to give you a head-start when you begin to search for your new home, I have developed the following list of things for you to consider. And by the time you actually make your home purchase, you will most likely have narrowed that list down to just a handful of key things that are truly important to you. Such is the irony in the home search process. Here goes (in no particular order):
- List price
- Taxes
- Town
- Schools
- Busy Street vs. “Neighborhood”
- Number of Bedrooms
- Size of Bedrooms
- Number of Bathrooms
- Master Bathroom
- Powder Room on 1st Floor
- Hardwood Floors
- Basement (Finished or Unfinished)
- Ceiling Height of Basement (can you actually stand in the basement?)
- Laundry Area (First Floor, Second Floor or in the basement)
- Closets
- Number of Bedrooms on Same Floor (e.g. Cape Cod homes typically have 2 bedrooms on first floor and 2 bedrooms on the second floor)
- Central Air
- Oil Tank (above or below ground) vs. Gas Heat
- New windows
- Fireplace
- Open Floor Plan Design
- Updated Appliances (Gas stove vs. electric)
- Eat-In Kitchen
- Renovated Kitchen
- Renovated Bathrooms
- Level Backyard (Fenced-in?)
- Garage (2 vs. 1 Car)
- Garage (Attached vs. Detached)
- Flat Driveway
- Driveway (Single vs. Double Car Width? Shared with Neighbor?)
- Porch (Front Porch or Back Porch)
- Deck or Patio
- First Floor Den or Family Room
- Move-in Ready
- Overall Condition of the Home (including Roof, AC, etc.)
- Pool
- Landscaping and Retaining Walls
- Proximity to Public Transportation (walk to train?)
- Proximity to Schools (walking distance?)
- Days on Market (DOM)
