Six Item Checklist When Buying a Home

If you are buying a home, there are 6 items you should consider. Your thoughts on these items will make your search faster and more efficient.

1. Location. What neighbourhood do you want to live in? Does the neighbourhood have to be close to schools and/or work? Can you afford the location?
2. Style. Do you prefer a condo, townhouse, bungalow, split-level or other?
3. Garage. Do you prefer an attached garage or detached garage?
4. Size. How many bedrooms, bathrooms do you need?
5. Basement. It will be cheaper to purchase a property with an unfinished basement or no basement, however, depending upon your needs and your means, you may want a finished basement.
6. Pets. If you want to keep your pet, and you are moving to a condo, you need to check the condo bylaws to ensure that your pet is permitted. You will also need to check whether there are any registration requirements or damage deposit needed, specific for the pet. Conversely, if you don't want to be around pets, again, check condo by-laws and if you are moving into a house, you may want to check whether the previous owners had any pets to avoid allergy back-lash.

Above, all, you need to know how much money you can spend. You may want to apply to be pre-qualified for a mortgage.

Before you make an offer, consult with your realtor to doubly ensure that you have inserted all the reasonable conditions to protect yourself, for example, you may want to make any offer subject to a reasonable home inspection and subject to financing.

There are many other considerations, however, the above shortlist will help you address your mind to the preliminary issues.

Happy Home Hunting!