You might be in the midst of a very exciting life change. Moving into a new home! While this can seem incredibly stressful there are lots of things you need to consider before the big move.
Listed below are four things to think about when purchasing a new home.
Funds Available
First off you need to consider how much you have available to buy a new property. If you are waiting for your current property to sell there isn’t much you can do except wait it out. If the market is slow there are things you can do to encourage a quicker sale. You could of course knock the price down but you could make some simple changes to your property. Speak to your estate agent who will be able to advise you on this.
If you are not currently tied down to a property then you will need to figure out your budget and how much you have for a deposit. To work this out you will need to enter all your incomings and outgoings into an online calculator and this will advise you on how much you have available to spend on your mortgage each month.
When you are looking around for houses, make sure you try to avoid going over your budget. Stick to around the original number or even better try to find a house under budget. This way if the house needs anything done to it or you want to redecorate then you have the money left over for this. If you want to try and stick to a budget when decorating your house, simple things such as using peel and stick aesthetic wallpaper can save you lots of money while looking stylish and fitting into your chosen theme.
Where On The Map
Once you know how much you have available to spend on your new home it is time to shop around different areas. For instance, will you be looking at florida apartments in orlando for rent or a townhouse in Washington DC? Before you can start looking at houses you need to settle on a location. You may already have a location in mind due to living or working in the surrounding area. If you already know a location is safe and fun to live in why look elsewhere. Of course, you can look elsewhere as houses in different areas have varying costs. If you are looking for something bigger for less money then you will need to look further afield. Factors that drive house prices up include great transport links, close to train stations, and ones that are close to good schools. When I was choosing to move to America a couple of years ago, I was looking at new homes in Chester County before I ended up settling in Boston for work.
Whichever areas you wish to look at be sure to research them thoroughly. When conducting your research ensure you take a look at the crime rates as well. You don’t want to move to an area where there are problems with violence, gangs, and other anti-social behaviour. Especially if you want your children to grow up in a safe neighbourhood.
New Or Old
So you have decided on an area to live in, the next step is to decide which house you are buying. This can be tricky as you could view a few with lots of unique selling points. You have to decide which one is right for you and your family. You are the ones that are going to be living in it for the foreseeable future.
You have the options of new builds or old houses, each comes with a list of pros and cons. New builds are quite often plain and can feel the effects of the elements. For example, in the summer you could be baking hot especially if you have a south-facing home and in the winter you will freeze. There never seems to be a happy medium in new builds. However, they are more eco-friendly than old houses and they haven’t developed the cracks in the walls that let heat escape and cold air in. If you want to get a newer house, there are lots of different schemes and companies available to help you purchase a house such as McArthur Homes and many others.
Older houses tend to be a bit cheaper than new builds simply because of their age. Older builds come with a list of complaints, usually repairs that need to be carried out. If you want a home that has some character then an older building is the way to go. However, if you want a brand new pristine property that you can put your mark on then choose a new build.
Making Your Mark
Finally, when you have your dream home and you have all moved in you will need to decide where everything is going. While you are in the waiting process it may be worth mapping out either in your head or on paper what is going into each of the rooms. If you have more rooms available than before you might need to purchase new furniture.
For example, you might now have a dining room where you didn’t before. So you will need to go on the hunt for a dining table and chairs. Make sure you get a good quality one that is made to last. Knocker chairs are a popular choice for dining rooms chairs. They give a contemporary look and feel while also being hardwearing and made to last.
We hope you found this useful and took on board some of the ideas above. Wherever you end up we hope you enjoy your new home.