What Are We Looking For In A House?
1. Good school district (see above);
2. At least three bedrooms (we want our kids to share a bedroom when they’re very young because it sounds fun and bonding, but very much want a room for guests to stay in…or a room to move our other child into if the shared-space thing ends up being less “fun and bonding” and more “terrible and everyone is awake all the time, always and forever”).
3. Some kind of bonus space: a family room in addition to the living room, a spacious yard, whatever. Just something.
4. Light. I need light. (But I’ve spoken to contractors about some of the properties we’ve looked at, and FYI apparently skylights aren’t especially expensive to install…and make a huge difference when you’re dealing with those low-ceilinged ranch houses that make up like 99% of what’s available in the South Bay.)
5. Elements that I can fix up to add value and personalize the space. I actually prefer a slightly unfinished house, because I think it’s fun to do things like paint walls and redo floors, and houses that are a little dated in those ways tend to sell for a lower price. What I don’t want are major structural issues (foundation issues, retaining wall issues, etc), since those problems can end up costing literally tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars, and: no.
So: those are the questions I’ve gotten so far. Anything else? Ask away!
Related Posts:
How To Buy Your Very First Home
How To Sell Your House (Or: How I Sold My House Without Going Insane)
