Home Buying Wish Lists

Published by julia | Filed under Buyer / Seller Tips, Real Estate, Shout Outs

When potential home buyers start shopping, they usually do so based on a set of criteria that they want, or at least they think they want. Sometimes after buying, people find that their wish list of features did not add up to the house of their wishes.

Most people want basically the same thing in a house. A common wish list for first time buyers would include… about 1200 or 1300 square feet minimum built in the last few years, an open floor plan and cathedral ceilings. Big living room. They want a garage and a basement. Gotta have a first floor laundry. Master bathroom with a garden tub would be nice. Walk in closet in the master bedroom is a must. They would like a decent sized yard with some degree of privacy from neighbors. When they find it, they buy it and they love it.

Here’s what happens within a week of moving in. Both cars do not fit in the garage. Two cars cannot comfortably park next to each other in the driveway and when you step out of the car it is into the grass, the landscaping or the snow. There is no place to sort and fold clothes in that convenient first laundry off the kitchen. There is not enough cupboard space to house both food and dishes. As it turns out, there is barely room in the combined kitchen and dining room for a table. Where is the pantry? Where do the broom and the vacuum go? The space saving design and angle of the garden tub makes it hard to get in and out of and doesn’t have a ledge for soaps and candles. What looked like a huge closet has no shelves and not enough bar space for the clothes.

The savvy second time buyer would modify your wish list as follows. The driveway should be wider than the garage door. You want at the very least a 2 ½ car garage if not 3. A separate laundry room, not closet, where you have space to manage your clothes. His and her closets are best, and when analyzing the walk in closet, make sure you really can walk in and around a bit, not just straight in a couple steps and straight back. Imagine yourself actually using the master bathroom to make sure you can maneuver and that there is ample space for all your stuff. One of the biggest complaints of first time buyers is not enough cupboard space. Take a good look at that kitchen and the cupboard space available. All home buyers would be wise to remember not just to look for the presence of the features they want, but the quality, placement, and functionality of them.