1 Buyer's Guide: Making Your Priority List

A home is more than just a collection of bedrooms and bathrooms. Several properties -- each with four bedrooms, three baths, and the same price -- may well represent radically different designs, commuting distances, lot sizes, tax costs, interior dimensions, and exterior finishes.


List the features and benefits you want in a home. Consider such things as location, size, amenities (extras such as a pool or large kitchen) and design (one floor or two, colonial or modern, etc.).

Know your priorities. If you can't get a home at your price point with all the features you want, then what features are most important? For instance, would you trade fewer bedrooms for a larger kitchen? A longer commute for a bigger lot and lower cost?

Consider your needs in several years. If you plan on starting a family soon, now may be the time to buy a larger house rather than moving or expanding in the future.


Everyone has their own criteria, and you want to find what’s perfect for you. If there is more than one person purchasing the home, then you’ll need to sit down and make your priority list together.

Sample priority list:

Must have:

• 3 bedrooms
• 1.5 bathrooms
• Hardwood floors throughout
• Formal dining room
• Certain location/school zone
  

Would like to have:

• Fenced backyard
• New construction
• Separate laundry room

It is important to share your priority list with your Realtor. Your Realtor should then send you information on listings that match your preferences. From here, you can select which homes to see and the house hunt has officially begun!

Check back soon for Part 3: The House Hunt!

-Eric