A New Home Is the Single Biggest Purchase

A New Home Is the Single Biggest Purchase

The majority of us will make in our lifetimes. This major buy affects the whole family – after all, you, the adult, won’t be the only one living in and using your new custom home. You have little ones, teens, or maybe even your own parents to consider, too.

Ironing out the details and making decisions – big and small – are crucial components of the home-buying process, from choosing where you want to live down to what color you want to paint the walls. Because your custom house is for everyone, all of your family members should have some say.

Getting the whole family involved may seem like a daunting task, but this guide will get you on track with a step-by-step look at what to consider and how to tackle these decisions as a team in the home-buying process.

Make a List and Check It Twice

Everyone has their dream house details: Separate rooms for each of your kids, an open-space kitchen leading into a big backyard, or an en-suite bathroom just for the parents.

Task each family member with making a list of their top five wants and needs they’d love to have in the new home. These lists could include big decisions, such as the number of bedrooms, and minute details, such as whether they prefer curtains over blinds.

Hold a family meeting and compare notes to gain invaluable insight and tease out the overlapping features everyone needs, such as their own bedroom, a big kitchen, or more than one bathroom. You could also learn about everyone’s wants – that your kids would love a big backyard, that your husband wants an in-home gym in the basement, or that grandma is pining for a fireplace in a living room that could fit a big, bushy Christmas tree each year.

This will help you prioritize the agreed-upon features that are must-haves for your new home. Everyone will also feel like they have a say in the process and that their opinions are valued.

Consider the Present and the Future

Your family home is about to be your most significant financial burden – and your biggest long-term investment. In other words, you’re in it for the long haul. Make sure you’re building and styling your home to last – it’s a house your family will need room to grow into.

Some questions you can answer to help steer this conversation include:

• Are there good daycare and nursery options nearby for your little ones, as well as good school districts within the proximity of your home for when they grow up?
• Are you planning on having more children in the future and therefore need extra rooms?
• Do you need disability access now or later on for elderly parents who may move in with you or visit often? (With this in mind, it may be worthwhile to include a ground-floor level bedroom for elderly guests who may not be comfortable with taking the stairs)
• Do you think you’ll work from home now or in the future and would need an office space?
• Do you intend on accommodating regular guests or family members who live far away? If so, you may need to factor in a guest room.
• Do you need to keep your search within a certain distance to where your current (or future) workplace may be? Some families strategically choose homes or new home building sites near highways or public transportation so commuting won’t be a problem.
• Do you need a home with a big backyard or a family-friendly street so your kids can play outside?
• Do you want extra space to add an extension just in case you decide in the future you’d like a nanny suite or a garden shed outside?

Thinking of the future together and providing answers to these questions may be a cumbersome task, but this step is so important because you want to build a home that will stand the test of time, and everything life throws at your family! Your honest responses will help you steer closer to building your perfect home.

Check Out the Neighborhood Before Deciding Where to Build

You can rebuild your home, but you can’t uproot the land, so where you decide to plant the foundation of your new house is just as important as what you want your home to look like. This is why choosing the right location is a pivotal step – that requires a bit more homework – in the home-buying process.

For starters, you may have been eyeing a neighborhood because of its proximity to work for you, and school for the kids, or you may have set your sights on a new build site because of its stunning view of the seaside.

Wherever you choose, do your research before buying that plot of land for building. Start by looking at city council plans to check for planning applications being made in that area – you can usually search by postal code. This can give you hints at any development in progress or slated to be in the works in the future.

This could be either good news or bad news – maybe the site your family is drawn to will have a community center and library built in by the time you move in or, on the other hand, the view and tranquility of the nearby woods will be cut due to a new housing development. Either way, this step ensures you won’t be in for any surprises.

It’s imperative that the whole family takes a recon trip to where you’re hoping to build your new home. Your jobs are to scour the neighborhood, looking at all of the amenities nearby. Drive around the greater neighborhood, then park at your new lot and take a walk, too. Your new home could be packed with local parks, pubs, restaurants, cafes, and green spaces – but lacking in necessities, like grocery stores or libraries.

To make this a fun activity, create a scavenger hunt, searching for amenities you’d all like to have in an ideal neighborhood. Pay attention to the area as you walk along the neighborhood streets – is it well maintained or is there graffiti on the walls? Is it along a flight path, next to a main road artery, or near a train station? Do you