Home Shopping, and I don't know what I'm looking for

**monkeywrangler71** · 06-26-2010, 12:10 PM

Can anyone give me some tips on how to approach this? I am literally all over the place. I'm looking at small houses, big houses, old houses, new houses, houses in 4 different counties; I really don't seem to know what I want.

I told my husband we need to sit down and figure out what we want before we hire a realtor, or they won't know what to look for. He then pointed out that he has already told me everything he wants, I'm the one who keeps flip flopping all over the place.

Has anyone gone through this? How can I organize my wants and needs so that I can search for something that at least satisfies some of them? How do I balance the big issues - space, distance, and price - and come up with a compromise that I don't regret?

**forHISglory** · 06-26-2010, 12:15 PM

Just went through this last fall. We made a list of what we HAD to have and one of what we would like, but could live without, and a list of what was unacceptable. We needed a home on one level so that we could age in the home and not deal with stairs. We needed a home that would accomodate my parents when they reach the point that they need to live with us. We needed at least 2 bathrooms. We wanted an open plan. We needed some yard, but not a lot, as we wanted to plant a garden. We wanted a structurally sound home. Cosmetic fixes we could do, but if the home was not sound, then we were in trouble. We also needed a home that fit our financial ability. We needed a location that was close to family. We wrote this all up and gave the list to the realtor. He began by narrowing down the area, then narrowing down the houses in our price range, and then narrowing it down to our desires. We found the perfect home for us. Had to do some remodeling, but it fits every need we had, and even hits quite a few of the wants!! Keep up posted on your house hunting journey!

**NikoSan999** · 06-26-2010, 12:53 PM

Everything above poster said. I would say 2 main things would be
1..figure your maximum price you are willing to go. That will narrow down alot.
2..how big are you able to keep up with...work...kids...big is nice but might not be doable or will wear thin real quick with everything else you do.

Other than that, and it may sound silly, but I think you'll know when you walk into it. This is it. Don't need to look no further.

**monkeywrangler71** · 06-26-2010, 04:16 PM

Thanks, we sat down today and decided on a maximum and preferred price, and a list of non-negotiable features. We have 4 months to get into a place, so I'm trying to keep a level head about it and not fall into any emotional buying.

We have a showing tomorrow, the first that we've decided to actually officially look at. All the others have been eliminated at the research or drive-by stage. It's about halfway between our preferred price and our maximum price, but it seems to have all the features we are looking for.

**forHISglory** · 06-26-2010, 05:07 PM

I agree that you will know when you see it. When we walked into the house where we now live, we looked at each other, and said, "We are home."

**MomToTwoBoys** · 06-26-2010, 07:29 PM

I would come up with a wants and needs list. I'd also come up with a pros and cons list. Then I would go through each of them and say, "Is this really going to be a deal breaker for me?". I think it's easier for us because there's only three things I really want when we buy another house. The rest of it is pretty negotiable.

I'd list what your husband wants and also look at that list and decide if that's also what you want.

DH and I both have the same desires, although he's more relaxed when it comes to the particulars. We both want a house that's a bungalow that doesn't cost us too much. We'd love a garage. A large yard is also a good thing, as is a big kitchen and a dining room. The rest of it is pretty negotiable.