Many people in the housing market will be looking to buy their forever home earlier in life. In the following article, real estate expert Jessica Simpson from Private Property Search, a buying consultancy for Strutt & Parker, will share some of the most important tips and pointers to keep in mind when buying your forever home.
Statistics show that buying the home of their dreams is something that buyers are doing more directly. This contrasts with the ‘one step at a time’ plan that was popular not so long ago.
A ‘forever home’ is a home a family will need. It is spacious and comfortable and will allow a family with children room to grow and later on be comfortable enough to retire in. It is also a house that is flexible enough to handle the changes that life brings along, like triplets, relatives moving in and eventually children moving out.
Here are some of the most important things to keep in mind when choosing a forever house that will suit your needs.
Flexibility
Your forever home needs to be something that encompasses all the needs you will have in your home. This is not merely size, flexible spacing inside. It can’t be too big. Even though it must have room to house children, it can’t be so big that the home is completely empty when the kiddos finally move out.
An annex or secondary accommodation is another point that is ranking higher on the list. This is because the high costs of housing are driving modern homeowners to seek out a home that has an annex that can be used for children until they are big enough to get their own space. It can also be used as a granny flat for the day when mom or dad need to move back in via your selected home movers.
This is also a good thing to have when it comes time to retire. They can then live in the main house, allow their children to live in the annex or even rent the annex out to generate a little more income. The annex can also be fully locked down when not in use.
Having a portion of the home that can be opened and closed off as needed is a point that is especially high in demand. Rooms need to be proportionally sized. This is an especially important point for any home but those homes that will be adapting the usage of their rooms will need this even more. Rooms with a regular shape and high roofs are a good idea.
One example is that some people may choose to stay in the same home as they age. It could be harder for some people to access upstairs bedrooms due to mobility issues. In such a case a downstairs bedroom can be used to comfortably accommodate this person.
Staying warm
If you were to ask a home buyer what are the most important details they were looking for in their forever home, they would probably not say “energy efficiency”. But if they knew what they would be facing ten or even five years down the line, energy efficiency would rank much higher in their list of priorities.
This is because it is important for many people to stay away from cold draughty houses. People want to live where it is warm and comfortable and doesn’t cost too much to stay warm. This means that whether they are aware of it or not, everyone is looking for an energy efficient home.
Room to grow
The capacity to add value to the home is another very important point, because most people are still concerned about the fluctuations of the housing market. Adding value can be done by building an extension, adding a new building or even knocking down older buildings or portions of older buildings to build something new. The right architect will be able to provide plenty of advice on getting this done just right.
It will be equally important to ensure that the construction of the house is solid. Most people will not mind a ‘fixer-upper’ so long as the roof, foundation, plumbing and electrics are in excellent condition.
There was a time that swimming pools and tennis courts were a popular option for the home, but not anymore. These additions are simply too costly to care for.
Schools
When it comes to choosing good schools in the area, most people have the foresight to overlook primary schools and focus on the importance of secondary schools. Primary schools are an important point to investigate, but a good secondary school is far more important.
Local area
Most home buyers are not looking for something way out in the sticks, they want to live as close to civilization as is comfortable. This will mean being in close proximity to a post office, shopping center, pub, or train station.
But this is a delicate balance. On the one hand living too close to community centers can mean living in a busy area of town. While it may seem nice to live on the outskirts of town, there is always the chance that new housing development will commence and add plenty of activity right outside your windows.
Saleability
You will be looking for the house in which you will be comfortable living in for the rest of your life. But you should remember that things change all the time, so you should always keep an eye on how saleable your house is.
