My Favorites
Wants Versus Needs
Home buyers overextending themselves and having an increasing list of needs is one of the reasons the economy is where it is right now. When planning to buy a home in Naples or Florida it?s important to be realistic when setting your needs. Much of it will be determined by the price and the amount of money you have to spend, but there is much you can choose to influence too.
You should buy a home because you love it, not for any other reason. Practicalities rear their ugly heads in every other aspect of the process, let your imagination and heart lead this part. It?s all very well choosing a home that will appreciate in value over the coming years, but as we have all learned over the last year, you can?t count on it.
So set realistic needs. Things like number of bedrooms and bathrooms, size of the kitchen and living area, access to amenities and schools are all legitimate needs. You aren?t going to be very happy in your new home if it isn?t right for you. You may have specific needs like disabled access, den or home office to consider. If they are really essential to your way of life then they should be counted as a need.
It?s tempting to add almost everything to your needs list, but you need to be hard. Adding a spa or pool, hardwood floors or under floor heating might be nice and you may initially consider them as needs, but they aren?t really. Trying to find a home that meets every criteria will either exhaust you or your budget and you will either overextend yourself to afford it or end up disappointed. A wants list are for the ?nice to haves? and all those things just mentioned should form part of it. There is no such thing as the perfect house unless you build it yourself so compromise is essential. Having this list in place ensures the compromise is down to the right things.
It may be an old fashioned process but putting the list on paper is the most effective way of creating it. Having it down in black and white will help you keep things in perspective when searching for your new home.
A simple column with the names of items then a box under a Needs column and another with Wants. Then you can tick, cross or whatever, under what you consider to be a need or a want. Your real estate agent will also be able to make use of this list and even advise on it when consulting them about your search. It will give them a much better picture of the type of property you are after when searching on your behalf, and especially when previewing homes for you. There are thousands of homes for sale in Naples and Florida, and any help you can give you agent will help a great deal.
Be realistic with your priorities and sensible with your needs and wants and home buying is an exciting process!
