You may be keen to buy a new house for living with your family or for an investment purpose. Buying a house is not a routine purchase, rather it requires hefty investment and a lot of planning and thinking on your part. So before you continue with your house search, you need to keep certain things in your mind. Following them will help you choose and buy the perfect house that meets your needs and expectations and gives you a great return on investment.
These are the important things you need to consider while buying a new house.
1. Size
Before proceeding with your house search, you should have a general idea of the size of the house you want to buy. You should know the minimum and maximum square footage of the house and the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you want to have in it.
The size of the house you should buy depends on your personal needs and preferences. If you have a large family or are planning to have one, you need to look for houses with more square footage as well as with more bedrooms and bathrooms. But if you have a small family including you and your partner, you need to look for houses with less square footage and with less number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
Both larger houses and smaller houses have their share of pros. While large-sized houses have plenty of rooms for housing a family and their guests, small-sized houses are easier and cheaper to clean, furnish and maintain for a small family. How much big or small house you want is a matter of personal preference. Even if you are looking for a small house, it should not be so small that it makes you feel cramped.
It is advised that you should look at houses of various sizes to get an idea of what will work for you.
2. Yard
You may want a particular kind of yard in your house. You may want a house with a lot of acreage and beautiful and low-maintenance landscaping, or you may not want it due to the time and resources required for maintaining a big lawn.
You may also want a house with certain features in the backyard. These can range from human-made streams, ponds, pools, patios, decks, swing sets, built-in grills, etc. They are attractive and useful features for some home buyers, while others may want to avoid them altogether because of time, expenses and liability involved with them. It may be the case that you don’t want these features in the backyard now, but will like to add them later.
You should have a clear idea of what kind of yard is good for you. For this you need to think on aspects like the lot size of the yard, its maintenance requirements, cost required in maintaining it and specific features you want in the front and back of your yard.
3. Exterior
The exterior of a house should be another important consideration for you while looking for a house. It should be sturdy and in a good condition. The roof, foundation and siding are the main elements of a house’s exterior. Whichever new house you decide to buy, its exterior elements should be sturdy and well maintained. Only then these will last for decades and require least maintenance.
4. Design and Architecture
The design and architecture of the house you have opted to buy should be modern, contemporary and appealing. You and your family have to live for decades in this house. If its design is not of your liking, you cannot enjoy living in it. An attractive design will fill you with positivity and enthusiasm every time you have a look at it.
5. Bedrooms
You may plan to use the bedrooms in a particular way. Whether a house’s bedrooms are suitable for you or not will depend on how you plan on using them. If yours is a family with small children, you may want your primary bedroom and your kids’ bedrooms on the same floor.
You may want to convert an extra bedroom into a home office. So you may be looking for a house where the bedrooms are farther away from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen and living room.
Apart from the size and number of bedrooms, you also need to consider some other factors associated with the bedrooms. These are sources of natural and artificial light, closet space, views from the windows, general privacy and whether there is an attached bathroom to the primary bedroom. The number and location of electrical outlets can be yet another important consideration if the natural or built-in light in a bedroom is not sufficient. Presence of electrical outlets will enable you to plug in at least one or two lamps.
6. Bathrooms
The bathrooms in the houses you are looking for should have everything in working order. After taking the house owner’s permission, you should check whether the toilets, sink, faucets, shower and fan are working okay. There should not be any leaks, water damage, or mold. Checking these things will help to make sure that there are no surprises like low water pressure or plumbing problems when you move into the house.
Also, you need to check if the shower, bathtubs, doors, curtains, etc. in the bathrooms are of your preferred type and if they are made from the materials you want. If they are of your liking, you need not spend money on doing bathroom renovations in the future which is a costly affair.
7. Living Room
You also need to give a due consideration to what you want in a living room. Do you want it to be warm and cozy or modern and chic? Does it fit your liking? Do you find it relaxing enough? Will your new furniture blend with the style of the living room? Is the room adequately spacious for your needs? Does it have electrical and cable outlets for putting a TV? Do you want to put a carpet in it to let your children play comfortably in it? Analyze the answers to these questions and accordingly decide whether the living room in a house is the right fit for you.
8. Heating and Cooling Systems
Heating and cooling systems are yet another aspect you need to think about while buying a new house. Take time to find out what kind of heating and cooling systems are installed in the house and if they are the latest ones. If they are not of your liking, you need to install new ones later which is quite an expensive affair.
9. Attic
Inspect the attic of the house to find any signs of leaks, damage, animal droppings and rodents on its roof structure. These things can cause a lot of damage to your house.
Also, you should take into account your attic’s insulation and ventilation. You should also try to know what type of insulation is installed in the attic. The insulation should not be wet or water stained.
10. Basement
Check out whether the basement is finished or remodeled. Finished basements provide an added living space while basement remodels can be costly. There should be no water damage, musty smells, water stains or mold growth in them.
Also, the radon level in the basement should not exceed the maximum radon levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Apart from having enough lighting, the basement should have at least one accessible door or window for enabling a quick safe exit in an emergency situation.
11. Garage
You need to check if the house has enough parking space for parking one or more cars that you are having. Also find out, if the length and width of the driveway is adequate to drive your cars and if street parking facility is also available. You may want a garage attached or separate from the house. Apart from parking your vehicles, you may also need a space for storing your stuff or placing a workbench. Whether the garage in the house meets your preferences and needs is going to influence your house buying decision.
Now you are well aware of the things you need to keep in your mind while assessing and inspecting a new house before buying it. This knowledge will help you to begin your new house search with confidence and make the right house buying decision that benefits you and your family in the long run.
If you are looking for a residential property for sale in the United States of America, you should consider purchasing it from an established and reputed house developer rather than from an individual house owner. This is because house developers have got a range of modern, appealing, feature-rich, top quality and yet affordable new homes of different types to offer to house buyers than what can be offered by individual house owners.
Trindor Homes is such a renowned and trusted residential real estate developer in Verona, Wisconsin. Check the United States Luxury Real Estate Housing listings on its website to choose and buy your ideal home from a range of beautiful, modern, feature-rich, spacious and yet price friendly homes. A smooth, hassle-free and unmatched house buying experience awaits you here! Just go for it.