Avoiding buyer’s remorse

Purchasing a home can get a little intense, especially if you are a first-time buyer. Between looking at homes online and reading design magazines, you pretty much know what you want your next home to be like. But be careful what you wish for. You may just regret wanting it to begin with.

Let’s start with size. Everyone wants a big beautiful home, but do you really need it? Remember, the bigger the home, the bigger the heating and cooling bills will be as well. Along with that, cleaning the place could take forever! Instead of extra bedrooms that you don’t need, pay closer attention to the size of the rooms that you actually do need.

The next item is probably the most regrettable for some. You look through the kitchen window into the backyard and there it is, your beautiful pool! Doesn’t it look refreshing on a hot summer day? Did you know that it could take as much as $1,000 to prepare a pool for the summer season. That’s not including monthly upkeep and the cost to “close” the pool at the end of the season. Along with that, your homeowners insurance could be higher. Make sure you are comfortable with this decision, since a pool can become a problem quicker than you think without the proper maintenance.

Next, consider how long you plan on living in your home? Is this a starter home or do you plan on living there in 30 years when you are retired? Take a good look at the stairs if you do plan on being there long term. Where is the laundry room? Do you need to carry the cloths up and down two or three flights of stairs? How many steps are there just to get into the home?

Lastly, folks often look at what a home does have and not what it doesn’t have. For example, does the home have a big beautiful shower? Is the shower that size, though, because the bathtub was eliminated? Many think not having a bathtub isn’t a big deal, but when it comes to having children, it can be a necessity.

Look past the beauty you find here and there and check the flow to the home. Does it work for you? Does the gorgeous island in the kitchen get in your way when you’re moving around the kitchen preparing dinner? Also keep in mind certain styles fall out of fashion quicker than others. Today’s steel counter tops was yesterday’s linoleum, and who knows what it will be tomorrow.

To contact me, call 847-292-4700, email gz@zerillorealty.com or visit www.zerillorealty.com.