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When you go on your first home-hunting endeavor, there are some important questions to ask yourself. Is your top candidate everything you dreamed it would be? Does it have the qualities and home features that will enhance your home living? Is it capable of meeting both yours and your family’s needs? It is in this thought process that you can learn to make rational decisions about which real estate property will not only satisfy you but will also provide you with your rightfully deserved standard of living. It can difficult to understand which home is essential for you and your lifestyle as that inventory of properties will lay the foundation for your home search and decisions. We’ve provided some of the most important aspects for you to ponder on during the home-hunting process!
To ground yourself in reality, you need to figure out how much you can spend on and afford on a new home. You can set a minimum and maximum budget so that you can have a variety of options when looking at potential homes. The mortgage you can afford will depend on many factors including your annual income, the size of your down payment, and your monthly payments. To get an estimate of your housing price range, you can use online affordability calculators that will take care of the math for you.
There are many kinds of homes, but the majority of them fit into these broad categories: single-family detached, townhouse, condominium, or co-op. Each of these homes have upsides and downsides, especially when it comes to privacy and independence. In a single-family home, you won’t have to share any walls and your home is entitled to its own land. Although, along with this independence, comes the responsibility for maintenance and repairs. If you choose a townhouse or townhome, you’re also the sole owner, but you’ll share common walls, meaning a bit less privacy.
Where you live is just as important as what you live in. You’re not just buying a home, you’re becoming part of a neighboring community. What happens in the near-by vicinities outside your door can have an impact on how you live your life as well as your home’s future value. You can do a gut check of how safe and qualified a neighborhood is by spending time in the area when possible. What’s it like on Sunday mornings and Friday night? Don’t hesitate to test the commute, shop for a few groceries, talk to locals in the nearby coffee shop, and read up on the neighborhood. By then, you can learn whether or not this neighborhood is for you.
If you plan or plan to have children, it is vital that you investigate near-by schools and education systems before you place a pin on a specific location. You can find school test scores, extracurricular activities, student population statistics, and community reviews and ratings in most for-sale home listings. Even if you don’t have children, good schools can be an indicator of a strong community and may help if and when you want to sell your home.
If you’ve been between whether you prefer a cozy abode or a home with large, open rooms, then this is something important to think about beforehand. Additionally, you’ll have to balance cost with convenience, especially because every bedroom and bathroom add to the price of a house. For-sale home listings always include the square-foot cost as a point of comparison between homes. If a three-car garage or big yard are must-haves, think about what you could trade for in exchange for these modalities. Maybe your children could share a room or maybe you can live without a breakfast nook. Knowing what you need versus what you want can help you and your real estate agent hunt down a home that serves as the best fit possible.
Here at Santana Homes, we provide floor plans that are fit for every homebuyer’s price range in the city of El Paso. We can guarantee that our properties will be hard to turn away from, especially with all the accommodating features we include. Contact us today to learn more about the floor plans we offer and our listings.
