5 Things to Consider When Looking for A Home

At some point in your life, you will be looking for a new home. Whether it is your first home or moving into your dream home, moving is something that happens in life. For some, it is very frequent, while others live in the same house their entire lives. 

5 Things to Consider When Looking for A Home

When moving and looking at homes, there are many things to consider. Being picky is okay when looking for a home, you will live there after all. Here are some important things to think about when looking at homes. 

When Was it Built?

Many people don’t consider this a whole lot when looking for new homes. Whether a home was built in the 1950s or last year does mean a lot. However, there are different schools of thought here, and different pros and cons to newer and older homes. 

Older homes generally look older, shocker I know. Some people like it, I’m personally not a fan. They may look old, but many homes that were built a little longer ago have higher building standards, and therefore may actually be stronger than newer homes. Other old homes are dilapidated.

Newer homes have a fresh modern look, but may not be built as solid. After all, a home that was built 30 years ago and looks great has looked great for the past 30 years.

What is the Area Like?

This is an important thing to look into. Are crime rates high? Are people generally satisfied with the quality of life? Is it a place you want to raise a family?

These are questions that should have a large impact on your decision. Your stage of life could change your answers. Starting a family gives you different needs than if you are preparing to retire. Researching the area thoroughly should be a step no matter what your stage of life is. Educated decisions are always better than uneducated ones.

Is the Area Expanding?

This question may seem like it doesn’t matter, but it is really important. If you are a fan of small towns, then you want to avoid somewhere that has been recently expanding its population.

If you want to live in a growing suburb with commercial construction aplenty, find a growing city. It is generally pretty easy to tell how cities are expanding. Quick census searches, or just driving through the city can show you pretty well where they stand on expansion. If you want to live in a small town, an expanding town will probably make you miserable. Same vice-versa. 

Where is the House Located?

The location of the home is very important. Growing up, my family lived 45 minutes from my dad’s work. I always thought that drive must be miserable, but he loved living in our small town and the location provided us with ta giant yard as well. It made the drive worth it.

Some people hate commuting, so a short drive is a must. Others would rather not be breathing in that city air, so they try to escape as far as they reasonably can. 

Potential Hazards

I took a Natural Disasters class in college and my biggest takeaway was that there is nowhere that you can live where a natural disaster won’t occur. Not a fun thought. It is important to look at where the house is located and what potential issues there might be

Some of these things can’t be avoided, living in California seemingly guarantees you are in danger of fire, earthquake, or flood, but you can control some of the other factors. A house at the base of a mountain is popular along with mountain ranges that are in close proximity to cities. The problem is that one rockslide occurs and the house is gone. Be wise about potential hazards. 

Looking for a new home is exciting. Be wise and careful in your search. Do thorough and solid research and make the choice that feels right, but remember it should be exciting and even fun. This could be the place you live for the next 30 years, find a place you love!

What do you consider being your top criteria when looking for a home? Which of these 5 Things to Consider When Looking for A Home is most important to you?