preferred neighborhood for its specific amenities. Or for parents with young children or adult children with elderly parents, or broken families, location would be a need. It would be more of a desire if those factors don’t apply. Here’s another example of how location applies: Let’s say you fall head over heels in love with a certain home, but it’s on a busy, loud, or annoyingly unfinished road; you might eventually regret your decision to move there, even if you love everything else about the home, particularly if you have children or pets.
KNOW WHAT YOU NEED
First, make a list of all the things your home must have. These would be the non-negotiables — your needs. There’s a good chance that you’ll have to make certain concessions in your home search (e.g., “This house is perfect for us, except I wish it had/ didn’t have that one thing… but it’s not a big deal, and we can easily change or fix that”). But don’t settle on the things that you consider essential for you and your family to live both comfortably and happily for a considerable amount of time. Besides the obvious needs like a good, solid roof, a strong foundation and structure, and working systems, you’ll need to think about: • Location • Minimum number of bedrooms • Minimum number of bathrooms • Finished and/or furnished basement • Garage • Stairs/levels • Yard (size, fenced-in, etc.) — especially applicable to families with young children and/or pets 47
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