Most home shoppers start out with two lists: the must-haves and the nice-to-haves. But, things have a habit of sliding from the must list over to the nice list.
Compromises sometimes need to be made. Your must-have list may not agree with your budget, the current inventory of homes, or even your partner’s list.
However, there are some things that need to stay on your must-have list no matter what. These are the things that will literally make or break this purchase for you. If you compromise these items, you risk never feeling quite at home in the new house.
Everyone’s list will be different. But generally speaking, here are some things that we wouldn’t suggest compromising when looking at new homes in Burlington, or any other city.
The Neighbourhood
We are obviously big believers in the value of the right neighbourhood. To us, it’s everything.
You might not be able to put your finger on it, but sometimes, you simply don’t like a neighbourhood. Others will welcome you like a warm hug as soon as you turn onto your street. In a lot of cases, this registers as a gut feeling.
Sometimes a little voice in your head tells you that this neighbourhood just doesn’t feel right. You need to listen to that little voice and figure out the underlying cause. It could be because you don’t like the size of the yards, the number of parks and ice rinks, or the proximity to schools and churches.
The Schools
How far is this neighbourhood from the schools that you want your kids to attend? This is an absolutely massive consideration. So, treat it as such.
Burlington has first-rate schools all over the city. If you want to learn more, click this link to browse the best schools in Burlington and find out which neighbourhood each is in.
If you start with the school and the neighbourhood and work your way backwards from there, you’re going to be able to shortlist prospective homes much faster.
The Condition
Don’t buy a fixer-upper if you actually don’t know how to fix shit.
Be very careful of the words, “We can fix it up.” Who’s the We in that sentence? Is it referring to you and your partner hiring someone to grout the bathroom and repave the driveway? Or are you looking to save some money by doing it yourself?
If you’re already handy or DYI-minded, awesome, grab a trolley at Home Depot and go to work. But if you’re looking to suddenly become handy because the price of this home demands it, you could easily bite off more than you could chew.
YouTube and how-to-walk thru videos are great at showing you how to do some basic things. But they can also make bigger jobs look much more attainable than they actually are.
The Commute to Work
It’s hard to enjoy your house if you’re an exhausted shell of a person after your drive home from work. Take your would-be work commute route seriously!
The good news is that Burlington’s Go Train access to Toronto is amazing and could actually be the calmest part of your day. But if you’re driving, things get a little bit more difficult. Take a close look at the length and the complexity of your would-be route to work. Is it an easy straight shot on and off the 407? Or is it full of bottlenecks that will make you hate your life?
This will literally be how you start and end your day for 5 days of the week, so don’t be afraid to be a little selfish.
Bring Us Your List of Must-Haves
The more knowledge your realtor has, the fewer things you will have to compromise.
We specialize in helping families find the perfect home, in the perfect area, at a price they can afford.
What can we do for you? Click here to contact us any time.
