WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN DECIDING WHERE TO LIVE

Moving is always a stressful venture, what makes it even more so is when you don’t know where you’re going to live. There are plenty of things you can take into consideration when deciding this. Education systems, climate, taxes, crime rates, food options, town size, and employment opportunities are all excellent examples of this. I’ve narrowed it down to 3 that I felt will ultimately be the determining factors when shopping for a home.

1: Affordability

This is such an obvious consideration that most people may not consider it, but whether or not you can afford to comfortably live in a home while paying mortgage in addition to other bills is the single most important thing to research well before deciding on a home. It’s not enough to be able to make the payment each month, you need to be putting money into long-term savings and have backup money for when you inevitably break an axel on your car and need to have it repaired. Take the time to review your finances, know what price ranges you can afford, set a bar for yourself. This will quickly help you to understand what kinds of townships you can afford and what you cannot.

2: Real Estate Value

Ever heard the line “A home is the biggest investment you will ever make”? Well, there is plenty of truth to that, otherwise why else would people say it all the time? If you ever plan on moving again, it’s important that you understand if your home will have any re-sale value, or even retain it’s current value. Consider if the areas where you are looking are up and coming, or if they have hit their peak. If this is going to be your primary residence, you need go with a house that feels perfect to you, but what’s wrong with setting yourself up to make some money from it in a few years?

3: Family and Friends

Whether or not you have friends and family near by can make it difficult to decide where to live, if you have a lot of family in-state, you may not want to move 3 states over. Take time to understand where you are geographically, and if it will be troublesome for you to visit any loved ones.

A REALTOR® is a great resource, they’re experts on the topic of real-estate! Want to know more? Go here to read about MORE things you could consider before looking for a home.

Original article posted on MIBOR.