It’s essential when looking for a new house that you know what you want, or better yet what you need and why. You’ll waste plenty of time if you really don’t have a good idea what’s important, including knowing your budget.
The other issue to consider in your search are the deal killers – things that are not negotiable. In other words, are there issues that would prevent you from moving forward on a particular home even if it met all your important needs.
For you, there may not be anything. But for some buyers, there are certain “must haves” and perhaps some “must not haves.”
Here are some things that may be non-negotiable for you:
A house that reeks of cigarette smoke
A busy road next to the house
Significant road noise (this varies from person to person
Near-by rail road track and/or train whistles due to RR crossing
Barking dogs next door
The view – high tension wires and/or towers overhead or in plain view in the back or front yard, looking directly into a neighbor’s house, a neighbor’s house looking down on your yard
A nearby school, retail facility, industrial area, or fire house
A death in the home
A former meth house
As one example – a beautiful remodel with great views and a large yard was recently passed by because the house next door had 5 dogs, with a couple that barked the entire time we were in the house. Killed that deal for my buyers immediately even though everything else was terrific!
The list above, of course, may not cover the issues that might be deal killers for you, but regardless it’s something all home buyers should consider as part of their home search. Sometimes you don’t even realize up front how important certain things are until you happen upon them…like barking dogs!
I find that there are always trade-offs when buying a home – you just have to be aware of what your personal ones are so you can make the best decision when weighing all the pros and cons. You likely will be happiest when the bulk of the check marks are in the pros column!!