1.DEFINE NEEDS FOR YOUR NEW HOME
Congratulations on your decision to purchase a new home! Your
first step toward buying your new home will be to analyze your needs. Your
real estate agent can assist in analyzing your needs so that you will be able
to get a clear picture of exactly what you want your new home to look like
and how it should function for you and your family.
First, you should write down why you are looking for a new home. For example,
are you currently renting and would like to have a home where you can begin
building equity? Maybe you recently married and have outgrown your current
residence. Or, maybe you have just gotten a promotion, which requires you
to move to a new city. These factors will all have a bearing on how you approach
your home search.
Second, establish a time frame that you would like to stay within for buying
your home. Depending on your reasons for wanting a new home and the current
state of the market in the area you are looking to buy, you should be able
to come up with a rough guideline, which you can finalize at a later time.
Last, you most likely have a mental picture of what you would like your house
to look like and what features it should have. It's very important to write
these ideas down to avoid any ambiguity later in your home search. You should
make at least two lists: one should be a list describing your dream home and
the other should list the features of the home that are an absolute must have
in order to buy it. In a perfect world, your new home would fulfill both lists
100 percent. It is more likely that you will end up blending the two lists
into a schedule of prioritized items as you progress through the buying process.
This is a natural and evolutionary process as you get clearer about what you
want and what is available.
