Genine Gilbert - SIMPLIFYING YOUR FIRST HOME PURCHASE

CHAPTER 2 Needs and Desires Once you've decided to buy a home, the next step is determining what type of home you want. Imagine your dream house. It fulfills both your needs and desires. It fits the need for a good roof over your head, a sturdy structure, modern fixtures and appliances, living space (e.g., bedrooms, living room) and function rooms (e.g., kitchen, bathrooms). Your needs fulfilled, you turn to your desires. Perhaps you envision a home on the beach or in the woods, a gourmet kitchen, a four season sun room, a screened in porch or an Olympic-sized swimming pool with a hot tub and sauna. Your priority in any home purchase should be ensuring all of your needs are met. Sometimes, you won’t find everything you desire in a home and if you do, you may not be able to afford it. It’s important to prioritize the things you want in a home by how important they are in your search.

Decide your needs vs. your desires.

• Would you like a swimming pool? Enough that a home without one is not worth looking at? • In what areas or neighborhoods might the home be located? Where do you want to live? Where might you have to live for work commute or home price reasons? • What features would make it special? • What can you afford and what is out of your budget?

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