Needs/Wants/Down the road. List time!

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Grab something to make a list with/on - notes on your phone or good ‘ole paper. Go sit with whomever you are buying your home with OR anyone that will have a SAY in your home buying decision. Trust me, better to include them now then later.

Story #1: Let me set the stage for you: I showed homes to 1st time homebuyers. Beautiful young couple so excited about their first home together. Each home we went into, they talked about furniture placement, where the future nursery would be and how they would cook together. They laughed about how he did most of the cooking, but she loved to clean up. Both cars would fit perfectly into the garage and they would still have room for the bikes they wanted to buy. Perfect! We wrote an offer, it was accepted. Inspection day came and her dad came to walk the home. He told her it was a money pit with too many issues and she left crying.

Story #2: My clients had bought and sold a couple of times, but this was going to be the forever home. They decided they wanted to build. We had a few discussions prior to me setting up a meeting with a quality builder that was building in an area they really loved. We are all sitting at a long conference table, several home footprint options are laid out, plat map and development plan are close. Builder starts going through standards vs. upgrades and one buyer is selecting what they need and the other was doing the math. Their needs/wants and budget were not the same. They didn’t build.

Topics to think about and discuss:

  • Number of bedrooms and bathrooms and garage

  • How much yard do you need - fence?

  • Price and down payment

  • Location

  • What will/will not compromise

  • How long do you plan to live in this home

  • How much work/sweat equity are you willing to do - budget?

These should bring up additional questions to discuss. Put them under the appropriate columns on your list and let your Realtor know. They can get your search set up and WOW it will be so much easier to just see homes that actually fit what you are looking for! Good luck and happy home shopping!