Practical and Perceptive Ways to Know a House is Right for You
(PART 1/2: Practical)
Buying a house is one of the most important purchases of your life, which clearly puts a lot of pressure on choosing the right one. But with so many to look at and choose from, what are some ways to know a house is right for you so you can feel confident about a decision with so much impact? We are glad you asked, and are here to help!
Knowing that a specific house is the right one for you and your family apart from all others depends on several factors, and those factors can be split into two categories: practical and perceptive.
The practical factors deal with the straightforward facts about a house’s suitability to be a home for your family, while the perceptive factors are more about how you feel about a certain house apart from others. We’ve put together a short 2-part guide to help expand on the factors within these two categories.
Here are just a few of the practical ways to know a house is right for you.
- Situated in an area that facilitates your everyday life
- It checks off all the major boxes
- You can afford it
- It fits your future
1. Situated in an area that facilitates your everyday life
One of the most important practical ways to know a house is right for you is to make sure it is situated in an area that facilitates your everyday life.
There’s no use getting attached to a house if it’s an impractical commuting distance from your work. A 40+ hour work week plus an exorbitant commute won’t leave you much time to enjoy your new home or, more importantly, your family. Decide on a reasonable radius from those daily necessities like work and try to stick to it when looking at houses so you don’t end up disappointed with something outside of your range that just practically won’t work.
The house should also be close to other lifestyle necessities, such as a preferred grocery store, parks, a library, places to eat and shop, good schools, a gym, etc. Pay attention to the community it’s in and the neighbors surrounding you. If the location of the house provides you with easy access to the things important to your lifestyle and it’s in a neighborhood you feel you want to get to know, you might have found the one!
The same can be true if your family prioritizes an out-of-town country life. If your heart is set on living with extra property in the country, don’t settle for something in town with limited space that you know won’t make you happy in the long run.
2. It checks off all the major boxes
One of the obvious practical ways to know a house is right for you is to make sure it checks off all of your important, major boxes.
Different things are important in a house for every family. But some major things such as the number of rooms and bathrooms, a garage, a backyard, a spacious kitchen, one story or multiple, etc. are particularly important non-negotiables. If you love a house but it only has two bedrooms instead of three, it just won’t work. Make sure you know what your “must-haves” are.
However, if you found a place that you love and it checks all the boxes of those non-negotiables, it might be the perfect house for you and your family.
3. You can afford it
Maybe you have found your dream house, but if you ultimately cannot afford it, your dream house will turn into a nightmare fast. You do not want to be house poor.
Most financial experts agree that your total housing cost should not be more than about 30% of your take-home income. You don’t want to end up with more house than you can afford, so consider your entire monthly budget, including items apart from your mortgage payment.
Apart from monthly expenses, your house should not take up all of your savings to be able to afford it. When you own a house, you need to keep a comfortable safety net of savings to deal with maintenance and unforeseen expenses that might arise.
Meeting all of these criteria and remaining within your budget will be one of the ways to know a house is right for you.
4. It fits your future
Another one of the most important practical ways to know a house is right for you is to look past your current needs and make sure the house fits into your future.
If you have only one kid now but are hoping to have more, that is a factor that needs to be considered in the lifetime of the house. Will it have enough rooms for all of your children and guests? Is your mother-in-law getting older and possibly needing a place to stay with you in the future? More college-age adults are staying in their family homes to be able to afford the steep costs of higher education. Is the house you’re looking at able to possibly accommodate that situation or others like it?
If you can say “yes” to all of these questions and to others that are important to you and your family’s future life, that house might just be the perfect home.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this guide where we explain some of the perceptive ways to know a house is right for you!
Are you considering buying a new home or selling your current one? Give us a call to see how we can help! Ruth Stultz is a highly experienced realtor who understands Lake Conroe and Montgomery County better than anyone. When it comes to finding the perfect property with everything you want, Ruth knows exactly where to look. You can trust Ruth Stultz with finding your next home, or the sale of your current home.
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