It is common practice to try on clothes, shoes, dresses, and suits before purchasing them. To ensure that clothes fit, feel comfortable, and look good on them, people instinctively know they need to try on clothes. What about a dwelling? It's likely the most costly buy you'll at any point make. Is it not even more essential to "try on" a house before making a purchase?
What exactly am I implying? Well, it's common practice to look for a home close to work and schools. When looking for a home, the majority of people consider the daily commute. Why not also consider the conscious activities of family members on a daily, weekly, and even monthly basis?
Case Study I once assisted Wendy, a young woman who was single, in finding and purchasing her first home. She wanted a home of her own and the tax break that comes with owning a home, and she was doing well at Geico. She asked for my advice on which option to go with, and we talked about a lot of the same things I've said here. We compiled a list of her priorities. Then we went out on the town to shop. Numerous houses were on our list. After we emerged from every one, we had a discussion about how it compared Wendy's rundown.
The young woman who would become my daughter-in-law was the owner of one of the houses we looked at. It was brick, all on one level, had a fireplace in the living room, patio doors that led to a huge deck with a hot tub from the master bedroom and dining room. It was beautifully decorated in a style that was similar to "pared down Victorian." A brass bed, some wicker, a lot of healthy house plants, and a few Victorian pieces of furniture that had been in the family for a long time were all present. On top of the piano, there were a number of silver-framed family photos.
Wendy started down the two steps to the car as soon as we left the house, but she stopped. She was looking at herself in the most bizarre way. She confessed, "That house is so pretty and so nicely decorated, I just enjoyed looking at it and didn't give any thought to how I would live in it," when I asked her what was wrong and she began to look sheepish. I simply needed it."
We entered once more. The house had been renovated to her liking, but Wendy decided it wasn't for her.
You can avoid costly errors by knowing what matters most to you. You can determine what's most important by "trying on" a house. I think you'll track down it merits the work.
