Thursday, May 1, 2014

How To Find The Best Possible Home

By Pammy McGrath


It's easy to conjure up an image of our perfect dream home. Actually finding that home and buying it is a whole other ballgame. Certainly, an experienced realtor can find homes that fulfill many of our wishes and needs, but before you head out and search for homes, there are a few things that you should keep in mind.

First, it is important to think about what you really need versus what you want. You need to think about home size and the rooms within a home. For instance, you probably need a certain amount of bedrooms and bathrooms to accommodate your family. You also need to consider the way you live. For example, if you have pets and children, you might need a larger yard or a quieter street where the kids can play. If you work at home, you might need a private office space where you can work in peace and quiet.

You might find an amazing home that really ticks off all the boxes, but it's located in the wrong neighborhood or perhaps on the busiest street in town. The location of your home is permanent, so you need to really love the location. If it's too far from work or you are in the wrong school district, this can really be a problem, so tell your realtor about your location needs.

You need to be realistic about superficial items. If you hate the paint colors in a house or it's filled with ugly wallpaper circa 1965, you must look beyond these decorative features. It is important to know what architectural and design features are easy to change. Painting walls is inexpensive and fairly easy, so never let ugly paint dissuade you from purchasing a house that otherwise truly suits your needs. Simply changing paint can make a huge impact. It's more important to have a house that is large enough with a good layout than to have a home with perfectly updated decor. Decor can be changed easily, while layout is much more difficult to fix and sometimes impossible.

Budget is also something upon which people often get hung up. Let's say you are firm about spending no more than $500,000 on a home. That doesn't mean that it's not worth at least looking at homes that are $10,000 to $15,000 over than budget, especially if it is a home that has been on the market for quite a while. Sometimes you can negotiate a home down to your price range. You also need to realize that every size budget has its limitations and sometimes you have to compromise.

It's always helpful to have a strong team of realtors on your side, such as the experts at Nixon Real Estate. They have been finding properties throughout Texas Hill Country for their clients for decades, and they can find the ideal home for your family whether you wish to live in the bustle of San Antonio or prefer the quieter small-town ambiance of Kerrville or Fredericksburg.




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