Buying a Home -- Here are some questions you need to ask yourself.

So you are looking for some advice on home buying. 

There are a number of questions you need to ask yourself before you go about this possibly life changing process. 

Of course there are the basics, do you want a single family detached home, or a townhome or condo.  How many bedrooms and bathrooms do you want or more importantly, how many do you really need?  Do you want that 4th bedroom for a den/office? So really a 3 bedroom with a den would be OK then in most cases.

What kind of layout are you looking for, do you want a formal living room and formal dining room or would just a wide open great room work for you?  Do you do a lot of cooking and need a bigger kitchen?  Do you need a garage, if so how many spaces do you need?

For single family homes, how many stories would you prefer, single story or ranch home, two story or a three story home?  Are energy efficiencies important in your decision, if so, how important? 

Yard size is also very important, do you want a yard big enough to play in, maybe have a pool, or would you prefer a smaller lot for its lower maintenance factor.  Does your house need to face a certain direction, north, south, east or west?  Is a view important to you, if so, what kind of view, city, park, mountains, ocean or lake? 

Is it important for you to live near community centers, schools, hospitals, parks, public transportation, or would you like to live as far away from it all as possible. 

Have you considered some of the other costs associated with the home or neighborhood, specifically real estate taxes or home owner's association dues? 

In today's day and age of bank owned homes and short sales, are you prepared to put in some extra dollars to fix up the place after it's yours or are you willing to pay a little more for one in better shape, or a maybe even a new home. 

Then of course there's always the resale potential.  How long do you plan on living in the home? Is this your dream home and are settling down for the rest of your life, or is it your first home and will be looking to buy a bigger home when the time comes? 

Make sure to answer these questions for yourself before buying your nest home. The more you know about what you want, the better your realtor will help you find your new home.