How To Find Your Dream Home

Finding your dream home can take a long time, but when you finally pick one out all that searching becomes so worthwhile. With a bit of planning, you can make finding the perfect home a much easier experience. When you’ve found it, all that’s left is to find furniture removal services and start living in your new place.

Decide On A Style

Think about what type of home will work best for you. What style of home design appeals to you? Do you always admire sleek, minimalist apartments, or do you prefer a more traditional, cosy farmhouse vibe?

Think about what your house needs to do for you. For example, do you need more space for children, green space for your dog to run around in, or space to turn a room into a painting studio? Think beyond the look of your future home, and consider the needs of the people who will live in it.

Do Some Research

You probably have an idea of the sort of place you want to live; whether that’s a city, in the country or the suburbs, but different neighbourhoods can very different feels. Take a look at online real estate listings to see which areas have the sort of houses you like. Make a neighborhood shortlist, and start looking into what each area is like. Think about what you’ll need and enjoy living near. For parents, what are the local schools like? Is there a good park nearby? Looking at local business reviews can be a good way to get a feel for what’s nearby too, like whether there’s a good takeaway or local restaurant for you to enjoy.


Visit each area in person too so you can get a feel for them. Try to visit at different times of the day and on different days of the week. A neighbourhood can feel very different on a Saturday night to how it felt on a Wednesday afternoon. Spend a weekend walking around a few different places to get an idea of what it might be like to live there.

Check Your Finances

Get your finances in good order before you start viewing houses. Check your credit report and try and deal with any issues that are flagged. Make sure you have any errors corrected to give you the best shot at getting approved for a mortgage Make sure you have proof of income ready before you apply. Get a budget in order for your down payment so you know what to expect to pay out yourself.


Do the math to make sure you know what you can afford. Even if you can manage a larger down payment, don’t be tempted to push your budget. Make sure you’re taking on a mortgage you can comfortably afford every month.

Plan Ahead

If you’ve found your dream home, you don’t want to have outgrown it in three years. Whether you’re planning to stay there for a few years or forever, think about how your needs might change. For example, are you planning on leaving your job to go freelance or start your own business? Will you still be able to afford the mortgage? Are you planning to start a family, or adopt some cats? Will your home have room for any planned children or pets? Don’t go overboard and buy a huge house when you’re single, but give yourself room to grow.

Look Past The Flaws

It’s unlikely that a home will tick off every single thing on your wishlist, and it might even have some things you don’t like much. This doesn’t mean though that a house can’t become your perfect home. Look for potential.

For example, you can look past an outdated kitchen or worn out carpets, as these are things that can easily be replaced with something you like. Pay attention to good bones, like a great layout, a large garden or lots of natural light. These are harder to add if the house doesn’t already have them. Does the house suit your lifestyle and is it on a budget? You can change cosmetic things to make a near-perfect house the best house for you.

Visit The House Several Times

When you find a home you think might be the one, make sure you take at least a second look. Like a neighbourhood, a house can feel quite different at different times, so try and make a second visit at a different time of day to your first one. Ideally, see the house on a weekday morning and a weekend evening to see the two extremes of the area.

Get The House Inspected

Even if the house looks to be in perfect condition, always get an inspection to make sure there are no nasty surprises waiting for you. A home inspection will be able to tell you important information like how old the roof is and identify any potential issues, like a faulty water heater. Go in prepared to save costly repairs later on.

Know Your Must-Haves

Make two lists of what your dream home would be like. One list should be of things your home must have, such as private parking, lots of natural light and room you can use as a study. This list is the stuff your home needs, that you won’t compromise on.

The second list should be things you’d like to have but can live without. Look for a home that has some of these things, but be flexible. If you find a home you love, but there’s no porch, is it a dealbreaker? Don’t miss out on a wonderful house because you’re stuck on the list.

Be sensible about what goes on each list and don’t be swayed by the things you see in other homes. For example, if you don’t drive, you probably don’t need a home with a double garage. If you don’t entertain much, you don’t need a huge dining room.

Document Each Viewing

If you’re looking at a lot of houses, they can all start to blur into one and you might soon find yourself unable to remember which house you saw that beautiful kitchen in and which had that cool attic conversion.

To help you remember what was where take pictures and videos as you go round the house on a viewing. As soon as you leave the viewing, save all these pictures and clips in a folder with the property address so you know where you took them. Take notes as you go round of anything you like and dislike about the property. Do you have any concerns about it that you want to look into? Jot down any key information the estate agent gives you, like what kind of heating the property has.

Having all this information will help you to keep the different properties you see clear in your mind and will help you to make an informed choice about which houses you’d like to see again. When it comes time to choose which house you’ll buy, your notes will be very helpful to refer to as you decide.

Buying a house is an exciting time, but it’s important to find the right place for you, where you can settle down and make incredible memories for years to come in your new, beautiful forever home.
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