It Is Best To Try On Your New House Before Buying It

It is commonplace to try on suits, dresses, trousers or shoes before buying them. People instinctively know they need to try on clothes to be sure they fit, feel comfortable and are attractive on them. What about a house? Buying a house is probably the most expensive purchase one will ever make. It is even more important try on a home before you purchase it?

What on earth do I mean? Well, it’s usual to look for a home in places that are convenient to work and schools. Most folks take the daily commute into consideration when looking for a home. Why not take the daily, weekly, and even monthly activities of family members consciously into account, too?

Case Study

I once helped a young, single woman named Suzy to find and buy her first home. She worked for lowes, was rising very nicely in the company and wanted a home of her own and the tax break home ownership affords. She asked my advice about choosing a place, and we had a conversation in which I mentioned many of the sorts of things I’ve said here on this article. We made a list of what mattered to her. Then we went shopping. We looked at a lot of houses. After we came out of each one, we had a talk about how it measured up to Suzy’s list.

One of the houses we looked at belonged to the young couple. It was brick, all on one level, had a fireplace in the living room, and had patio doors from the master bedroom and dining rooms to an enormous deck with a hot tub. It was beautifully decorated in a sort of Victorian style. There was a brass bed, some wicker, lots of healthy house plants, and a few Victorian pieces of furniture that were actually old, family pieces. Silver framed family photos were stationed on top of the piano.

After we emerged from the house, Suzy started toward the car and then stop in place. She had the weirdest expression on her face. I asked what was wrong, and she began to look sheepish and confessed, that the house was so pretty and so nicely decorated, that she just enjoyed looking at it and did not give any thought to how she would live in it. She just knew that she wanted it.

We went back inside. Suzy still admired what had been done with the house, but decided the it was not right for her.

Knowing what is important to you can save you from costly mistakes. The process of “trying on” a house helps you evaluate what is important. I think you will find the exercise of imagining well worth it.