Whether it is your first home or second, buying your own home is always special and exciting. We all wish to decorate our home as per our taste, likes, and dislikes. We call this place “Home” Home is where best memories are made. The first thing that any home buyer take into consideration is the price. Price is the topmost deciding factor in home buying. But along with just price, there are many other factors which are equally important. Let’s see what are those:

 

• Reliable and good realtor: It is very important to have a reliable, and not so pushy realtor. Yes, the realtor is the person who is your guide in this entire process. Home buying is a tedious process and sometimes gets overwhelming. If your realtor is pushy then it is not a pleasant feeling. House-hunting feels like a never-ending process. So, if you are able to find a patient, calm realtor then call yourself really lucky.

 

• Budget: We all have a set budget. Just because you like a house that doesn’t mean that you go way beyond your budget. You have to think in a calculative way. This doesn’t mean that you should compromise on your likes and dislikes. Home buying comes with many additional expenses so home buyer should not get carried away but think practically. In short, buy a house that you can afford.

 

• Size: What is your family size? How many bedrooms are you looking for? Do you need a big kitchen and bathroom(s)? Do you like to have a big living area? Is having a study one of your main requirements? Do you like entertaining people? Single storied or a two-storied house? All these factors will decide how big your house should be?

 

• Neighborhood and Schools: It is very important to be very clear about your preferences regarding neighborhood and school. And conveying that to your realtor is ever more important. Then only s(he) can help you to the best possible extent and help you in finding your dream home.

 

• Commitment: Home buying is a big decision. So, before you move towards this step, do all the calculations about your duration of stay, job security, and long-term plans. If you are living in an apartment, you know it’s easy to make a move but once you move into a house, it is not going to be easy. So, you have to make sure that your stay should be at least of the duration that you reach a break-even point.

 

• Life of the roof: If you are moving into an old house then the life of the roof is very important. Here your realtor’s experience can be very helpful. They can tell you just by looking at the roof if it has been replaced or if it needs to be replaced soon. A strong roof is very important. There are many roofing contractors who can do it for you. Make sure that the roofing company that you are contacting is trustworthy and has high work-ethics.  Roofing company Tampa is one such company which provides high-quality material, professionalism, and after-service warranty.

 

• Appliances and Air conditioning system: As I said, home buying comes with many extra expenses. Replacing appliances is one of them. If the seller hasn’t replaced the appliances then you will have to replace them soon. Make sure, you take this point into consideration. Same applies on air-conditioning.

 

• Renovation cost: Sometimes people want to change room colors as per their taste or because they don’t like the already painted walls or they want to have one accent wall. Making these cosmetic changes is not that expensive. It only requires some paint that you can do it on your own or some wall-paper (recently I came to know that wallpaper is back in trend). But changing bathtubs or kitchen involves cost. Labor cost in all these renovations can be very high. So, you should factor in those costs when determining whether you can afford to buy.

 

Last but not least,

 

• Buying a home should not be a compulsion: Home-buying is purely a personal decision. There is no written rule to have your own house once you celebrate your, for example, 35^thbirthday. All the above factors need to be taken into consideration before you move towards one of the big decisions of your life. If you are a first-time home-buyer then you should not rush. Take your time, talk to friends living in a particular neighborhood you are considering ((if you have any), calculate your future plans, schools, costs and then move ahead. Make sure that you have all your doubts cleared before you jump in it.

 

These are few of the points I knew about home-buying. Do you have anything else to add from your experience?

 

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