Kristin Garnett - Home Buyers Guide V1 Book

CHAPTER 3 Buyers' Needs and Desires

After you’ve decided to buy a home, what sort of home it will be is your next decision point. It’s a better approach to have a rather concrete vision in mind of what type, features, and amenities you want in your home, rather than a “shotgun look” at every listing that’s out there in your price range. 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 (i.e., bedrooms, living room), and functional rooms (i.e., kitchen, bathroom[s]). Your needs fulfilled, you turn to your desires. A home on the beach or in the woods, a gourmet kitchen, wood-paneled den, crystal chandeliers over a banquet table in the manor-sized dining room, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool with a hot tub and sauna. In your first home, you must ensure all needs are met; however, there are probably going to be some desires that you’ll have to let go (for now) due to affordability issues.

Decide your needs vs your desires.

• Would you like a swimming pool? Enough that a home without one will not be looked 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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