Making Your New Home Wish List

Blog posted On June 04, 2020

If you’ve spent the past several weeks (or months) confined to your home, like many other Americans under coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders, you probably have a better idea of what you are looking for in a new home.  Maybe your once unused extra bedroom has transformed into an essential home office.  Maybe you’ve realized a fenced-in backyard could have provided safer play space for your children.  Spending this extra time in your current home is a great opportunity to decide what features are most important for your new home.

Whether your move was postponed by the pandemic or you’re actively looking for a new home, use this extra time in your current home to make your new home wish list. 

Start with Likes and Dislikes

Before you list what features you’d like most in your new home, start with your “likes” and “dislikes” about your current home.  What is your favorite room?  Where do you spend most of your time?  What could be improved?  For example, an open-concept kitchen might have seemed desirable when you bought the home, but now you’re constantly cleaning it because it’s always on display.  Identifying your favorite parts of your current home shows you what’s a “must have” for your new home.

Evaluate the Space and Flow

Is your current layout easy for you to get around or could it get challenging when you get older?  Hiking up and down the stairs to do laundry might be easy now, but you may want to consider a home where everything is on the same level as you age.  Do you have enough bedrooms and bathrooms?  Maybe you thought three bedrooms would be enough, but now that you and your family are confined to working and schooling from home, an extra bedroom could help space things out. The layout of your home matters as much as the square footage, there is a difference between space and useable space. 

Reconsider Outdoor Space

You may be getting reacquainted with your home’s outdoor space when you spend more time at home.  Is your yard big enough?  What’s the outdoor noise level?  Are you able to keep up with your yardwork?  You might not have noticed how noisy the neighboring street is until you started spending more time outside.  The yardwork may be manageable now, but a more open yard with less trees and bushes could be preferable during retirement.  Make a list of what you’ve enjoyed about your outdoor space and what you would change in a new home. 

Don’t Forget the Neighborhood

The one thing you can’t change about a home is the location.  During your daily exercise walks, you may have gotten a better feel for your neighborhood including walkability, traffic, and proximity to schools, parks, and activities (when they reopen).  You may be ready for a new house, but really like your neighborhood.  Your new home could be down the street, keep an eye out for “for sale” signs!

You may already have some ideas of what you want in a new home, but before you get fixated on future features, evaluate your current home and what you like and dislike about it.  When you are ready to move, let us know!  We’d love to help you finance your perfect home.

Sources: Zillow