My must-haves and my nice-to-haves list
When a you buy a home you don’t get the option of keeping the receipt and returning it if you don’t like it! So plan and choose wisely, because most likely, you will be living in that home for many years to come.
I have put together a wish list / reality check list that will help you come to a conclusion as to what type of home might work best for you. If you have a partner, then take the test separately. It will be interesting to see how closely your two lists will compare.
There are two parts. What are the your absolute “must-haves” items and what are the “nice-to-haves”? Take a seat in your favorite chair, relax and close your eyes. Pretend you are sitting in your new home on a Sunday morning. What does your new home look like? What would you like it to look like?
After completing the list, you should be able to come up with a home buying mission statement such as: “I want to buy a 3 bedroom / 2 bathroom, two story single family home in either Greenwood or Wallingford. Home will have a detached garage, a low maintenance yard in a quiet neighborhood. Absolutely must have a wood burning fireplace. Stores and entertainment to be within walking distance. A hot tub and a deck would be nice but not essential.
Based on this test, select your top five must-haves and five nice-to-haves and discuss them with your Seattle Realtor. This will help focus your home search efforts and separate the wheat from the chaff. Once you are actively out looking at homes with your Realtor or visiting open houses by yourself, it is possible they you will want to tweak your wish list. The more homes you visit, the easier it will be to recognize the “this is the one!” when you walk in the door.
