As we enter Cyber Monday, I started thinking about buyers entering the Burlington real estate market.

It is easy to get information about anything online. A dozen sites, like the MHG or RE/MAX.com can provide the home, or homes, of your dreams. If you have been considering a move, or that dream home purchase, you have probably spent hours pouring over kitchen and family room pictures, scrutinizing that bathroom tile choice, or deciding if a lake or mountain view is most important. Pinterest has been known to push and pull buyers in all kinds of directions. Before you dive in head first, consider these thoughts. What do you and your family WANT? What do you NEED?

Do you really need that subway tile in the kitchen in order to be happy with your home choice? Would a two-car garage be a convenience or a necessity? Could the man cave (or Mom cave) of your dreams be a future renovation project? Or, must that be an immediate feature?

The first thing that I recommend in the  home buying process is to get a mortgage pre-approval.. This allows you to know your budget and narrow (or expand) your focus. I can then provide options based on your wants and needs list. the easy way is to follow this simple plan.

List all the features of a home that you would like, and qualify them as follows:

  • ‘Must Haves’ – if a property does not have these features, then it shouldn’t even be considered. (ex: distance from work or family, number of bedrooms/bathrooms)
  • ‘Should Haves’ – if the property checks off the haves and some of the should haves, it stays in contention, but does not need to have all of these features.
  • ‘Absolute Wish List’ – if we find a property in our budget that has all of the ‘must haves,’ most of the ‘should haves,’ and ANY of these, it’s goes to the top of the list!

The Bottom Line

Creating this list at the beginning will save you time, money, and frustration. It helps me determine what features are most important and provides a clear focus for desired areas and home specifications. What is important to you is important to me. 

 

Expect More.