What’s On Your Homebuyer’s Wish List?

by | May 30, 2022

Help Us Help You By Creating A List of Needs and Wants For Your New Home

 

We take the agent and homebuyer relationship very seriously. We want to make sure that you end up in the perfect home for you and your family. And we will go out of our way to make sure that you live happily ever after in that home. Help us help you by creating a wish list that we can use to find you the ideal house! This list is an important tool whether you’re a first time homebuyer or an old pro.

First, we’d love you to consider a few questions to focus your thoughts on your next home. Then, we have a list of considerations and features for you to specify and subsequently rate in importance. Split them into essentials, needs, wants, and wishes. Finally, you’ll want to review and highlight anything you’d be open to compromising on. Here we go!

The List
Starting To Take Shape
Organizing and announcing your thoughts will help us to make them a reality. Here are a few questions to get you brainstorming:

  • Who all should be part of these decisions? (Children, partner, family members, etc.)
  • How long do you plan to live in this house?
  • What is your life going to look like over the next five, ten, or fifteen years?
  • Are you looking for a fixer-upper or an already-doner?
  • Do you need a space that can grow over time and according to your future needs?
  • What are the absolute necessities?
  • What are your fondest wishes for a new home?

Questions And Features To Consider
Now, let’s get specific.
Remember, you’ll want to rank all of your answers as essentials, needs, wants, or wishes. We always like to remind our clients that fixtures are more difficult to replace than design elements or features. It helps to keep that in mind when deciding if something is essential or not.

Let’s start with the basics:

  • What is your price range?
  • How much square footage?
  • What type of home are you looking for? Single-family, duplex, condominium, apartment, etc.
  • How many bedrooms do you need versus how many you’d like?
  • How many bathrooms do you need versus how many you’d like?
  • What yard size?
  • What neighborhood(s) do you want to live in?
  • Do you have a preference in a school district? (Of course in Longmont, we have open enrollment, so you aren’t beholden to the district boundaries!

Important to Consider:

Comfort and Safety:

  • Would you want a home with proximity to major roads, train tracks, airports, commercial buildings, etc.?
  • Would you prefer a gated community?
  • Would you like a security system?
  • Is it important to have Aging In Place options?

Details:

  • A/C
  • Dishwasher
  • Gas/electric stove
  • Fireplace
  • Pool
  • Spa (indoor/outdoor)
  • Outbuildings (shed, in-law suite, barn, unattached garage, etc.)
  • Basement
  • Laundry room
  • Fenced in yard
  • Patio or deck
  • Storage
  • Guest parking
  • Views
  • Flooring
  • Open floor plan
  • Private primary bath
  • Mudroom
  • Walk-in closets


Rating System

Essentials
The essentials are the things that you will not budge on. This should be a fairly short list, and honestly, some items may move off of it. In fact, some people might not have any items on this list. Your price range and square footage are examples of possible essentials.

Needs & Wants
We group these together because it is hard to explain one without the other, but they are two different categories. A need (must-have) is closer to an essential. A need is something that you think you couldn’t live without. The number of bedrooms or bathrooms, or even A/C or a dishwasher could be a need. Whereas a want (nice-to-have) is something that would be favorable but isn’t a deal-breaker. Perhaps a gas stove or jacuzzi tub. Dividing up features into these two categories is very personal as each person will have their own specific wants and needs.

Wishes
Wishes are elements that would be awesome to have but fall outside of what a property needs to contain in order for you to be happy with it. Maybe this is a house with a pool that’s in your price range or a home with a view of the mountains. These are things that we, as your Realtors, will keep an eye out for, but know that they won’t be dealbreakers.

Compromise
Give a lot of thought to the items that you would be willing to compromise on. Though we will go out of our way to find you the perfect home, it might not have every element on your list. However, it might have something you never realized you’d love!

What are the things you can’t live without? Where can you see yourself having some wiggle room? Perhaps you want an attached garage, but you find a property with a barn and workshop that gives you space to park and work on your projects. The key is to imagine your ideal home, but then leave a part of your imagination open to the possibilities!

It is also vital to discuss all this with the other people who will be occupying the home with you. Talk about your wishes and needs. Where do they intersect? Find the areas you’re willing to trade-off on. And remember to be reasonable, give things a chance. The house that will bring you joy is out there! We will find it together.


Our Turn!

Now that you have your prioritized list ready, it’s our turn! Your Realtor will peruse the current listings to find possible fits for your wants and needs. It is time to get ready to hit the pavement in search of your dream home!

To get started contact us at Turner Realty, Longmont’s oldest Real Estate company! We know and love this area, so if you’re looking for homes for sale in Longmont, CO, we are the Realtors for you.

If you’d like an even more detailed wish list to work from, we recommend the Home Buying Checklist Guide or the Homebuying Wishlist from HUD.gov.

While you’re here, take a look at some of Longmont’s best patios and our historic districts! We love this bustling town, and so will you.

To learn more about Longmont or Real Estate in general, take a look at our blog!