Owning your own home is a fantastic feeling.  It is every person's dream and one of the biggest purchases you will ever make!  Therfore, the more time you spend preparing to buy a home, the easier your experience will be.

One of the most important things you can do to get ready to buy a home is to decide EXACTLY what you want...and write it down.

When creating your list, think of the qualities you would like in your new house...in your neighbourhood...and in your Community.  Include EVERYTHING you think is important.  While this will not guarantee that you will get everything you want, it will help you prioritize what you think is most important.

Of course, once we start looking at houses, your list very well may change.

...you may find things you never thought of
 ...things you thought were important may become less important
...things you thought you could afford but you cannot
...and things you did not think you could afford, but you can.

So, do not be concerned about making changes, many folks do.

To help you along, here are some of the more common points of interest  that many of the buyers I have assisted over the years have considered when making their own Wish List:

• Location: Town or City
  • which towns do you WANT to live in (Whitby? Brooklin? Oshawa?), which ones would you live in if you had to, which ones would you NOT want to live in
• Area of town
• Type of neighbourhood
  • with kids, without kids, close to highway or main road for an easy commute, out in the country, etc.
• School system requirements
  • grade school, high school, catholic, public, etc.
•  Type of house
  • is it a detached brick bungalow or a two story with siding that suits your needs?  Perhaps a townhouse with a smaller yard is what your lifestyle calls for?
• Size of house
  • Square footage, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, etc.
  • Size of rooms
• Layout of house
  • Open concept, separated family room space, etc.
• Yard
  • Size preferred, landscaped already or a diamond in the rough, etc.
• Price
  • Are you willing to pay less for an older house that may need work?
• Anything else that is important to you and your family
  • For example: Space in the yard for future pool, finished basement, two car garage, etc.

If you are not sure what to include on your list, take a walk through the house or apartment you are living in now.  Stroll through your neighbourhood or desired area.  Speak with a friend, neighbour or your Realtor.  The more information you have, the better!

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are buying your house with someone else, make sure you discuss what they think is important as well.  Then, use your combined Wish List to ensure all key participants in the home purchase have their needs recognized. 

Once the list is ready, put the items in order of importance.  This step will be a significant help when you and your Realtor are  visiting properties for sale.  Relying on memory can be overwhelming (and can take the fun out of the experience), especially if you are visiting a number of homes on the same day. 

The final step is to make certain your Real Estate professional gets a copy of your list.  This will really help them to focus in on the homes that best meet your needs.

My hope is that you have found this message helpful and that you do yourself a favour and take a few moments to write out your Home Buying Wish List and put it in order of importance, and send it to your Realtor.  You will save yourself a great dael of anxiety and ...who knows, you may have some fun in the process!

 H Buying a home is probably the most important investment that you will make in your lifetime, as your Durham Region Realtor, I'm happy to help you through each step as we find your next home together.  To get started, contact me today.

More Home Buying Articles: "Home buyers - What NOT To Do list"