Life Outside of Work: How to Know You’ve Found the Perfect House
For all the natural disasters, Washington disasters, and general mayhem going on in 2018, the housing market is still doing well.
In fact, it’s thriving–mortgage rates are stable, prices are rising, and inventory tightened.
If you’re in the market to find your perfect house, or if you’re looking to invest in real estate, now is the time to start looking. Here’s how to know when you’re looking at the house of your dreams.
Spotting the Perfect House
Let’s say you’re searching for a house through a real estate company like Myers & Myers Real Estate. As you’re searching, viewing houses, and weighing your options, you might be wondering, “Should I buy this house?”
There are a few things that will help you separate good houses from great houses from the beginning. It also helps to know what you want.
A Pragmatic Checklist
Gut feelings are helpful–many a home buyer swears by them–but it’s a good idea to know what you’re looking for in a house before you sign on the dotted line and get a mortgage.
To this end, you should keep a logical list of your wants and needs and a sense of how the right home will fit into your lifestyle.
For example, do you have kids, or are you planning on having kids in the future? You’re going to need a house with enough space for them. A couple with two children, for example, will often look for a four bedroom house so that the fourth bedroom can serve as a guest room.
Do you have a dog that needs a lot of roaming space and activity? You need a house with a yard to accommodate them.
Other practical considerations include the commute to work, the quality of the neighborhood, and the school system.
How to Know When to Buy a House
Once you’ve found houses that meet your standard practical criteria, you can start to consider a few other factors.
Whether or not to buy the house is another art, though. Here are a few signs that you’ve found the One.
You Want to Go Inside
Curb appeal is more than just making your house look nice for the neighbors. It’s the first chance a homeowner gets to impress a potential buyer.
For you, part of the fun of house hunting is stepping out of your car to see the house that could be your new home. Those first few moments when you lay eyes on your house could tell you a lot about whether it’s the right house.
When you first see the house, do you feel excited to go in? Are you intrigued and want to look closer? Those are the effects of curb appeal, and if a house doesn’t offer that to you, you’re off to a rough start.
You Measure Other Houses Against It
If there’s a house you immediately think of when you consider your search, that’s a good sign for the house in question.
It doesn’t matter whether it was the first house you saw, the most recent house, or somewhere in the middle of the pack.
If it’s the house you’re referring to when you measure other houses–the lawn isn’t as nice, the lighting isn’t as good, the living room is smaller–that’s a sign that you’ve gotten attached. It could mean that house is the One.
You’re Comfortable in the Bathroom
Bathrooms are a funny place in a house.
All houses have them, and you want them to look nice considering the amount of time you’re destined to spend in there.
But bathrooms are also kind of awkward.
In fact, buyers are often uncomfortable going into a bathroom–they’ll stick their head in, take a look for a few seconds and carry on.
If you’re comfortable enough in a house to feel good about walking in and taking a closer look at the bathroom, that’s a good sign for the house in question.
You Are Possessive
It’s not technically your house yet, but you keep thinking of it like it’s your house.
Like when the realtor points out a stain on the counter or a creaky floorboard and you get irrationally mad. You don’t want them to keep pointing out the flaws, because even though you also see the flaws, you’re more than happy to overlook them or fix them later.
That’s a sign that you’re falling hard for the house. It’s a good sign.
You’re Talking Yourself into Buying It
You know when you ask people for advice, but really you want them to confirm what you already believe and want to hear?
People do that when house hunting a lot. Specifically, they do it when they’ve found a house that they love and don’t really want to let it go.
If you’re doing this, take note of it. It’s a sign that you really want to buy the house.
You Can’t Envision Living Somewhere Else
Let’s say you walk into a bedroom. Are you configuring where you’re going to put the bed and dresser?
What about the living room–are you dreaming about what your couch and coffee table would look like? Maybe you look at the walls and can picture yourself painting it your favorite color.
Alternately, you can’t envision living in another house. All the other houses on your list just don’t seem to stack up in comparison–in fact, you don’t like picturing living somewhere other than this one house.
Folks, it’s time to talk to your realtor, because you found the One.
Right House, Right Work Environment
Here, we believe that the best work environment isn’t just about your office–it’s about finding the perfect house to come home to, your ideal life outside of work.
For more tips and ideas, check out our blog for posts like the entrepreneur’s guide to a luxury home office.
