How to Know if a House is Right For You
9 Tell-Tale Signs
Written By: Mariko Baerg, REALTOR of Bridgewell Real Estate Group
If you’re looking for a realtor to help you purchase a property, call me today!
Many buyers wonder how they will know when they’ve found the right house, and are worried about making the “right” decision. If you’re thinking about how to know if a house is right for you, here are 3 things you should know about finding the right house:
- Find an ethical real estate agent who you can trust, and isn’t trying to push you in to every home BUT will push you when they feel it’s the right home. Ultimately most buyers need “the push” at some point, and with that being said the right realtor will always let your decision be the final one.
- Create a list of needs and wants, essentially a priority list. If it meets all of your needs then that’s what you should focus on, and if it meets a lot of your wants then you’ll probably start to feel something in your gut telling you to go for it. Follow your gut.
- You may want to sleep on the decision, don’t.
With regards to the third point, in a market that’s moving so quickly, buyers don’t have much time to “sleep on a house” because it’ll be sold by the time you wake up. While it is normal to harbour fears about making the wrong decision or feeling rushed when you’re looking at homes to buy, one thing that I’ve learned in real estate is that if your gut is telling you it’s the one, then it is. Don’t second guess your instincts. The last thing you want to hear from your agent is that another buyer made an offer only a few hours before you wanted to submit yours, all because you chose to “sleep on it.”
This blog post is put together from our experience to give you tips on how to know if a house is right for you without having to sleep on it! These are tell-tale signs that ourselves and our clients have felt throughout the process to help you confirm that “this is the one!”
9 Tell-Tale Ways to Know You Have Found the Right House WITHOUT having to sleep on it!
1) You Want to Go Inside the House
I’m sure you’ve been to houses where you pull up to the curb and you don’t even want to step foot inside. If you get there and something about the house is automatically appealing to you, then that’s a great start. That’s curb appeal talking!
2) It meets all your needs
Having a home that meets your needs is the most important thing to look for. The dynamics might not hit every bullet point on your preferred list, but it meets the basic requirements.
Does the house have the number of rooms and space you need? Does it have that two-car garage that’s necessary? Is it within your budget so that you don’t need to eat Kraft Dinner for every meal for the next 25 years? If the answer is yes to all of your needs, then it’s a good one to take a hard look at.
3) It also meets a lot of all of your wants!
So the house has met all of your needs – and then you start looking at your list of wants and realize that it ticks a lot of those boxes too. It might not be fully renovated, but it does have a nice open concept kitchen and lots of cupboards.
Being flexible about which issues are deal-killers is a good quality to develop. If it meets all of your needs, and some of your wants as well then it is probably the right house for you.
4) You Start to Think About Furniture Arrangements
If you walk into the living room and can immediately envision your couch and table arrangements, this might be your house. If you find yourself on the balcony already thinking about enjoying your morning coffee on your outdoor patio furniture then you’re already picturing yourself living there. Take it from a realtor, if you can see yourself already living there then it’s the right house for you.
5) You Compare Every Other House to It
If all of the other homes you go to see no longer appeal to you, or you start comparing all of those homes to it then it’s the right one. The homes you’ve been previously have been knocked down in rank, and you would rather just go back to the house rather than go see new houses. If that’s the case, then this is it – I’m telling you!
6) The Whole Family Likes It
If you’re a family that’s shopping around, odds are that you all have different preferences. If the whole family likes it, then you’re probably having the thought “Oh thank goodness everyone likes it.” If that’s the case, it’s probably the house.
7) You Want to Take a Video and Show All Your Friends & Family
If the first thing you want to do is pull out your phone and record a video of the basement, all the way through the kitchen, and up to the bedrooms then you obviously like the place. If you’re already on social media showing off how much you love the place, then you’re definitely hooked.
8) The Flaws Don’t Seem to Matter
If your agent points out a flaw and says, “There is a stain in the bathtub,” and you want to snap back and defend, then you’ve already started to make it “your house”.
If you see the flaws and they don’t even matter to you, then you’re falling in love.
9) Every Thought in Your Mind Tells You to Buy That House
Except for that nagging little thought that wonders if you should sleep on it, every other thought in your head says this is the perfect house for you. You know you can’t sleep on it, because you’re worried someone else will take it. You are consumed. You can’t think about anything else apart from owning this house. Dinner? Who needs to eat? If that’s the case, then you should probably grab a pen and call your agent – just do it.
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If you don’t have a realtor yet and you need someone to walk you through the real estate process or write an offer for you, then give us a call at 604-765-0376. Prefer text? 604-319-0200 or email [email protected] to start a conversation. We’re here to help!
