5 Reasons You Should Write A Must-Haves List
Homebuyer guide.
There is nothing more exciting than anticipating what the future might bring. One of the things many home buyers anticipate is what changes they want to make in their lives and a home can be a huge part of these changes.
Before exploring your future home options, it is always a great idea to write down what changes you want to make and that begins with your new home’s Must-Haves list. This list is what you use to determine if a home will meet your needs or if another home would be better suited.
Today, I am going to list the 5 Reasons you should write a Must-Haves list to guide you through your selection. This is a wonderful time to buy, but inventories are low, so make sure you are clear about what you want in your next (or first) home. Let me know if you can think of some I missed.
Reasons # 1
Organization – A must-haves list allows you to be more organized because you only look at homes that have all or about all the items on your list. For instance, you may want a fireplace, that means you will only look at homes with fireplaces. Or you may be moving to a bigger home, so square footage or room numbers might be at the top of your list, you would only look at homes that met this criterion.
Reason # 2
Localization – You’ll want to be sure you know what services are in your new neighborhood. Should you need an emergency vet, you will know where the nearest vet is located and the services they perform. The same idea can be said for hospitals, restaurants, shopping, and more. Affording yourself the ability to gain knowledge of the services you need is important and a great asset to becoming familiar with your new location.
Reason # 3
Understanding the home you want to buy. Here is where your list can really save you money. When you consider your options for a home, new construction, or potential modifications to an existing home, you will want to be sure you know what questions to ask. The fact is, natural gas is the least expensive form of energy in most homes today, as noted by Dave Kovaleski in his 2018 article “New study looks at cheapest energy sources in US”, citing a University of Texas at Austin. This study illustrates that natural gas, along with solar and wind, are the least expensive energy sources “of the new electricity age.” A conversion to natural gas or installing solar panels might be out of your budget in an existing home but could be a standard option in a new home.
It might be good to note that there are also government programs that offer tax rebates to homeowners who choose to install solar panels on their homes. You can learn more about these programs from the US Department of Energy’s “Guide to Federal Tax Credit for Residential Solar.” While this guide is for FY 2020, you can still receive credit if you have your panels installed by December 31, 2021.
Reason # 4
Having a list makes life easier when you decide to choose a REALTOR®, especially if you are relocating to an area that is unfamiliar to you. This list will allow your REALTOR® to advise you on pricing, location, and amenities in the area where you are interested in buying, saving you and your REALTOR® time, money, and hassle. Be sure your REALTOR® knows if you have children, pets, specific needs like a ramp or extra-large garage. Will you need easy access to the freeway, shopping, or schools? These are things you want on your must-haves list so your REALTOR can look for them and advise you on how best to move forward.
Reason # 5
Finally, the fun part! What amenities do you want in a new home that you do not currently have? Your list should include any of the fun things people look forward to when shopping for their next home. Many people want to level up to granite counter tops, a view, a grand master suite. Whatever it is, make sure you list it and prioritize it. Make your list a list of things that you would like to remain firm but be flexible enough to list the things you can do without at the bottom. Also keep in mind that your list may change a bit as you go through this process. I have seen it happen with past clients. Sometimes when you get out there and start looking, in conjunction with what your budget is, things tend to shift.
Conclusion
It is my sincere hope that you find creating your list will be eye-opening, helpful, and fun because the process should be fun. If you are a first-time homebuyer, you may need to revise your list a couple of times before you share it with your REALTOR®. You want to make sure you are addressing all your needs and wants, but also know that sometimes we want a $500K home with $1M amenities and that is not always achievable. Keep it simple, keep it fun, keep it reasonable and you will have success sooner than you think.
You have a lot to look forward to, you have plans, you have goals to achieve and I am here to help you move them to success!
Have Questions?
Contact me today!
253.226.8268
REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
