So you want to buy a house. You are so excited and can’t wait to find your dream home. For first time homebuyers and people buying a home for the second or third time it is very important to know what you are looking for. With so many homes on the market and so many to choose from, you need to have a good idea what you are looking for.

Do you want a single story rambler or a two story home with a walkout basement?  Before you start looking for a home, sit down and make a wish list of what characteristics you are looking for in a home.  Now you probably wont find a home with everything you want.  Rate each wish for your home.  For example, maybe you need a home with a three car garage.  Be aware of that, and don’t even go look at homes with a two car garage.  You will make it a lot eaiser for you and your real estate agent if you know what you want.

Determine what area you are looking for.  Drive around neighborhoods to see which ones are appealing to you, or certain areas of different cities.  This is not a good statement:  I want to find a nice home in the Twin Cities area with at least 3 bedrooms and our price range is $200,000 to $275,000.  It would probably take you 5 years to look at all of these homes. 

Just because you start looking at homes with certain features, that dosen’t mean that you can’t change them along the way.  Looking for a home can be a process, changing all of the time.  Maybe at the beginning of your search you said you needed 3 bedrooms on one level, but you are noticing that homes with 2 bedrooms on 1 level and 2 bedrooms in the basement is also appealing.  Make sure that you are aware of your wants, and make sure to tell your real estate agent you thoughts.

 Have fun looking for a home.  Happy house hunting!