Moving to a bigger pond?
Get Your Next Home Purchase Right The First Time!
There are lots of reasons you might need or want a larger home. Perhaps it is not even bigger- just different. There are all the obvious reasons such as job relocation, new children and perhaps even having extended family moving in with you. How you go about searching for that new home can mean the difference between long term satisfaction or a costly mistake.
It is very tempting to sit and create that wish list. The "I must have" in order to move list. Left unchecked we can all get a little carried away and by the time we are done the house we conceptualize as a "must" can become twice what your budget is. It may also send us down the path of looking at the wrong house.
While it is fun to day dream I propose that you should actually start with another type of list all together. I call it the The "non changeable" list. You see, there are many things about a home you can change. Paint colors, decor, windows, and well, basically anything about it. You can even add onto it and create more spaces. But there are 5 things that have a lasting impact on your satisfaction with the home. If you don't know these going into your search you will waste quite a bit of time looking at homes that don't fit you and never will!
List of non changeable items you need to consider are:
Lot: Location, orientation and topography - this won't ever change. Your lot will always be right where it is today. Is this the best lot you can get? Does it give you what you want? is a hillside home really want you long term? A yard with major trees means maintenance. Does the house face the wrong way? Will your bedroom be too bright in the morning and the living areas too warm in the afternoons?
School: It is unlikely your school district will ever change. Even if you don't have kids what about resale? Do people without children desire this neighborhood? If no, resale will be tougher. Outside of exclusively retirement areas this is always a consideration.
City: Is it well run? How is the zoning? How are the public services? Compromising on this could mean higher taxes or less services down the road. Cities are wildly different in how they manage their budgets. Just because one town is well managed does not mean the very next town over is too!
Utilities: In many areas where you live can determine who your basic utility providers are. Some have very different rate structures. Do you know which is which? Check any special assessments for recent area upgrades. That new underground wiring they bragged about in the listing may have a real cost on your tax bill.
Services: This one is not set in stone - stores, physicians, entertainment venues etc. can close or relocate over time. My general rule of thumb here is this: If you are looking in an area served by one grocery store only - think about how you would like it if that store closed. Where is the next closest one? Being close to the conveniences you need in your life is more important that you may realize. Too many times we see people purchase far from these services to get the house and then they are unhappy with the area.
By focusing on these core items you can save loads of time not "trying to see if it will work" focus just on the listings that meet your needs on these five items. Paint is cheap, flowers are fun to plant and cabinets can be replaced but the five things we mentioned above can never be changed.
Looking for real estate in the Coachella Valley / Palm Springs be sure to visit our website at www.psagent.com or just give us a call at 760-408-5300 we will help you find a home using these criteria.
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