Now that you’ve done your homework, you’ve got your financing in order and have been pre-approved for a mortgage loan. Now, let’s have some fun finding a new home for you.
Do you have your priorities set to buy a home in Lakeland? Home buying is a very emotional time, especially if it’s your first time. Emotions can make you blind and can be a barrier in your home search, so don’t let emotions cloud your judgment. Just because the home you are considering has a gorgeous bathroom, however you forget that the living room is too small for the size of your family. Never judge a house by how the current home owner has decorated, since the decoration will most likely vanish when the seller leaves. You would want to make a list of your wants and needs? Needs are those things that you can’t live without and should be very basic and wants are the things you would like to have but you can do without.
Reflect on the basics:
- Number and size of the rooms – Is your family growing, do your furniture fit in the bedrooms?
- Garage size -Depending on how many cars you own and since we don’t have basement in Florida, is the garage large enough for additional storage?
- One-story or two-story layout – Bedrooms located all on the same floor. Master suite or a laundry room on the first floor or second floor? Split level floor plan where the Master Bedroom is located on the opposite end of the other bedrooms.
- What about the yard? Is the yard large enough for your children or pets to play? Does privacy play an important role in choosing a home? Do you have time or the aspiration to maintain the lawn and flowers?
- Location, Location, Location… – Checking out the neighborhood on all sides of the property and the vicinity for traffic, busy street, noise, potential danger to children is valuable to your home purchase.
The checklist can be endless and it really would be impossible to provide such a list. It is so important to determine what you like and dislike about your current living condition. While it is important to consider the aesthetics of a property, consider that much of what you see can be changed.
Reality check for first-time home buyers
Real estate agents have a reason for the term “starter home.” First-time home buyers rarely have the funds or fortune to get everything they want in their first home. You want to make sure that your basic needs are covered and later add the wants when the funds are available. With home prices dropping like hot cakes and foreclosed homes on the rise, you also want to be cautious when you take on a home that requires repairs upfront – can you handle more work than what you bargained for?
Setting your priorities first before buying a home is the key to have a smooth home purchase.
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A Crucial Home Buying Tip – Setting Priorities to Buy a Home
CDV TransAtlantic, Inc.
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker
P.O. Box 92050 – Lakeland, FL 33804-2050
Telephone (863) 618-6919