The Ultimate Checklist of Things to Consider When Buying a New Home

Buying a new home can be a daunting process full of difficult decisions — how much space do you need? Where do you want to live? Does the neighborhood suit your taste? After all, it is the place you’ll be living and making a home for years to come.

 To help make sure you consider all of the key elements of buying a new home in your search process, here is the ultimate checklist to help you out.

1. Where do you want to live?

Before you even start to search for available homes, you’ll need to consider where you want to live. This decision encompasses a wide range of factors, including school district, neighborhood, city and more. You should also consider whether you’d prefer a Master Planned Community or a traditional unplanned neighborhood. Whatever your priorities, be sure to make a list of reasons for choosing a certain area, so that you can return to the list as a checklist for evaluating homes on the market in other neighborhoods.

2. How will the neighborhood likely change in coming years?

Even if a neighborhood you’re looking at seems perfect now, you’ll need to consider how it will change in coming years. With most traditional neighborhoods, it’s impossible to predict what will happen, but you can take a look for signs of upcoming developments or indications that surrounding houses aren’t being well taken care of. If surrounding homes fall into disrepair, you may end up losing property value, whereas if the neighborhood adds development and stays attractive, your property values could increase.

When you move into a Master Planned Community, you’ll be able to see the overall vision for the community immediately, allowing you to determine if it fits with your vision for a neighborhood. Homeowners also must keep their homes in good condition, so there is less worry about surrounding homes deteriorating and damaging your property value.

3. What facilities or amenities are nearby?

A key aspect of the neighborhood beyond location, school district and overall feel is: What is it close to? Having a park, nature trails or other facilities and amenities within walking distance or a short drive away is often a key aspect of quality of life for many homeowners.

In some Master Planned Communities, you’ll get access to parks, golf courses and more, sometimes incorporated directly into the neighborhood for maximum ease of access.

5. Does the home have enough space for you and your family?

While you and your partner may be comfortable with a small one-bedroom apartment now, consider how much space you will need for years to come when looking at buying a home. That could mean ensuring you have an extra bedroom or two for kids down the line, or you may want to incorporate a home office if you expect to be working from home at some point. Whatever your expected needs, be sure to think long-term about the space available in the home and whether it has enough rooms and enough space to meet those needs.

6. What will the resale value be?

If you’re planning to sell your house five, ten, twenty or more years down the line, you should consider the resale value when you first buy it. Evaluate whether the house seems like a place you can maintain or improve over the years, and consider whether the neighborhood will likely be an attractive location for other homebuyers when you plan to sell.

7. What is important to you in a new home?

As you embark on the process of buying a home, be sure to consider all of these factors and others that are important to you. Make a list of factors to check and be sure to run through them for every house you come across.

And if you’re interested in exploring Master Planned Communities in Peoria, AZ, as part of your search, call Vistancia today at (623) 933-6233 or visit Vistancia.com