You don’t have to find the perfect home straight off the bat. When many people move into their first properties, they tend to be in a bit of a rush. They’ve spent ages saving up their deposit and now they’re so close to having a home of their own, they want to find it right now. They’ll think they can’t justify spending money on rent when they could be putting these payments to a mortgage now. But it’s important to remember that patience is a virtue and finding the right home for the first time round can save you a lot of money in the long run. Rather than having to worry about making alterations and renovations down the line, things will be great and ideal right off the bat! You also won’t have to worry about upping and moving to find the house that genuinely ticks all of your boxes. So, how can you achieve this? Here are a few pieces of advice that should help you along the way.
Determine Your Budget
The first step you need to take when house hunting is to determine your budget. Start by noting down your current income. If you have your budget together already, your income will show how much you can afford in terms of monthly payments towards your mortgage.
Know What You’re Looking For
Once you know your budget, you need to take before you even start house hunting is to make sure that you actually know exactly what you’re looking for! How can you find the perfect home if you don’t even know what you want? Some key areas to take into consideration should be:
- The area you want to live in – knowing the area you want to live in will allow you to start searching for properties within this area. Look at local amenities, local schools if you’re going to need schools, local transport links if you’re going to need public transport. You can find the perfect home that ticks all of your boxes, but it’s not much use if it’s not somewhere you can realistically live. Coming to a conclusion on where you want to live will allow you to set up your search parameters.
- Whether you want to live in a community – there are plenty of communities like the Arcadia Peninsula where you can connect with people in a beautiful spot. If you’re more of a social type or you’re looking for somewhere ideal to bring up children, then a community could prove perfect for you.
- The number of rooms you want the property to have – you will also need to know exactly how many rooms you want your property to have. If the property is really perfect and
- Parking
- Whether you want a garden or not
- Whether you want a detached property, semi-detached property, or terraced house
Next, you should create a list of things that you can be a little more flexible on, but would be a good added bonus. These could include:
- The size of the kitchen
- The size of rooms
- En suites
- Conservatories
- A garage
Use an Estate Agent
It’s an estate agent’s job to find the perfect property to suit you and your needs. So, make sure to use one. They’ll know which houses are on the market at the moment and will be able to alert you to properties that are both available and could be perfect for you. Start out by giving them a list the completed list of desirable features above. They are also likely to request more practical and financial information, which could include details about your budget. Once your estate agent is aware of what you want and how much you can pay to get it, they will scour the market to find something that might suit you well. Don’t expect them to work miracles – if you have a low budget and want a multi bedroom house in a prime location with an extensive back garden, they might not be able to find what you want within your budget.
Actually View Potential Properties
If potential properties turn up, you need to go and view them. Viewing properties will allow you to see whether the house you’re considering lives up to the photos taken by an agent. Remember photos can be misrepresentative or overly flattering. They can be taken from angles that make the space look bigger. They can miss out important details that could turn you off the property. Viewing lets you see exactly what’s on offer.
These steps are simple and straightforward, but they will help you find the perfect property without messing about all too much. So, keep them in mind and make sure you incorporate them into your property search!
