• 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? Budget usually constrains us most in selecting a home. While some things are necessary for any home (as mentioned, a good roof and working appliances), others will just stay on the list of desires for now (like the sauna).
MAKE A LIST; CHECK IT T ; CHECK IT TWICE
You may have an impression of what you want in your new home. Putting that to paper and having a complete checklist can prove useful. Before starting your hunt for a new home, it’s advisable to make a list of all your basic needs and desires, then prioritize the desires, figuring that all needs must be met in any house under consideration. This will make the search easier and help weed out the ones that don’t meet the basics. Realize, however, that it’s nearly impossible to find a home that meets all your requirements. Compromises will be necessary. It’s a good idea to work from outside-the-house factors to inside-the-house. For example, location is perhaps the primary concern, and both “needs” and “desires” might be involved. A “need” would be “must be within 25 miles of work.” A desire might be, “would like Greenfield Hill” (a favored neighborhood), while a need might be “on the south side of town” (because work, family, friends, and recreation activities are all located there). Location needs may include proximity to schools, frequently used recreation facilities, or modes of transportation (bus or
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