Blending your New Home with your Lifestyle

What does it take to blend your new home with your lifestyle?  Buying a home with your Needs and Wants in balance.  Often, differentiating between your Needs and Wants is difficult and daunting.  By sorting your priorities into two categories will help you manage expectations and eliminate homes that will not make your heart sing.

Your Needs are must haves requirements that you simply cannot live without.  For example, I had to have a yard that I could manage on my own while taking care of my toddler.  This was as important to me as the quality of the school district.  Your Wants are items such as appliance brand or type of flooring.  For example, I wanted a gourmet kitchen that I could cook and entertain in.  The reality was I could not afford exactly what I wanted, but what made my heart pitter patter was the size of space, the double oven, and the kitchen sink window looking out at my backyard and seeing my kids easily.  My Wants were out of my budget.  I desired to have the space that I could modify easily when the time came along.  What are your Needs and Wants?  Write them down – keep in mind this list is a “living list”, as we start, as well as, continue to tour homes, some of the items that began as a Needs, might actually be a Wants (desire), and are not “the deal breaker”.  Purchasing a home is a long term investment, so spend time communicating, writing down, addressing your Needs and your Wants. Both of these are necessary to buy the “Just Right Home”.

Needs = static, example:  # of bedrooms, square feet in living space, # of bathrooms.  Wants = dynamic, they are easier to add to your home after the purchase, example:  hardwood flooring vs carpet or laminate,  pendant lamps vs recessed lights.  Think about the added time, commitment, and money it will take to add your Wants. It could be  that a few of your Wants should be Needs.

Your checklist is an important part of ensuring one home versus another home is the home for you.  Have your checklist handy whenever you are out looking, driving around, perusing the internet.  This will keep you on your desired path to owning the home you dream of.  Think carefully, be present and mindful of your Needs and Wants: you will be living in this home for a while.

The checklist below is a great conversation starter for both the you the buyer and myself as your real estate advocate.  I will refer to this list often while we are working together.

Remember:  This is a living checklist, it can and will evolve the more we explore homes and neighborhoods in the Pacific Northwest! 

What an exciting time!