What to Look for in a Forever Family Home

Working with so many buyers and sellers over the years, We’ve come to learn that there are a few common themes amongst home buyers when it comes to house hunting. Not least of all is the fact that home buyers frequently have an initial emotional response to the home they want to buy.

Although that is positive and quite natural, it is the job of a reputable realtor to ensure home buyers don’t make major long-term investment decisions based on emotions alone! Having a solid plan in place before you begin your forever home search is a great way to balance both a positive emotional attachment and a sound investment thesis into your purchasing process.

So, what should you base your decisions on when it comes to buying a forever home? Let’s dive into that a little further!

A successful home purchase begins with a vision and continues with a well-thought-out plan. Start your journey off right by downloading our Home Buying Guide

Your First and Most Critical Decision

If you’ve made the decision to buy your forever home, there are several very important attributes to look for, and there are some less important attributes that we know won’t really impact your overall long-term satisfaction with your home. In our experience, the number one most important feature to consider when buying your forever home is choosing the right location.

Getting the location right will ultimately make the largest contribution to your long-term happiness in your home.

It is not a feature you can usually change, (think moving a house on a flatbed truck!) and so it deserves a disproportionate weighting in the decision-making process. Fortunately, Team Logue agents are well-versed in eliciting key details from home buyers to help solidify a smart location-based decision. The most important of these questions we ask center around lifestyle and routine, both today and into the near future.

Still considering where to start the search for your forever home? The posts below might help:

Choosing Your Location the Practical Way

Here are a few of our key location questions to ask yourself when evaluating a property as your forever home:

Is the location of the home within reasonable proximity of transportation needs and daily destinations?

For example, a home buyer may work remotely from home, but children (present or future) in the home will need to attend school every day.

How will they get there?
Where will their social activities be concentrated?

If you have a family today, or if you are planning to have a family in your forever home, this is a question worth considering when making a forever purchase. A long drive to and from school every day is a high-impact part of daily life.

What would your daily commute look like?

Additionally, a forever home buyer might also want to consider any potential future job changes that could signal switching from remote work to an onsite role.

Is the home close to major autoroutes or public transportation?
Would the location of the home limit your future career opportunities?

These questions are important considerations a buyer sometimes overlooks when choosing a forever home location.

It is also worth noting the home’s proximity to healthcare, amenities and recreation. Things like doctors, dentists, grocery stores, parks and sports all contribute to our regular routines, and a long commute to access frequently used amenities may or may not be suitable to a home buyer’s desired lifestyle.

Are you in the beginning stages of a move and are wondering what is available? Learn more about your options by browsing our featured listings

Location Is Also About Lifestyle!

In addition to transportation and routines, here are a few other lifestyle-oriented questions that can help solidify a well-located forever home purchase:

Is the location of the property suitable to everyone who will live there from an accessibility perspective?
Is the home on a quiet or a busy street?
Are there sidewalks in the neighbourhood?
Is there a fenced yard?
Is the zoning residential or mixed?
Are there any municipal plans for future development to consider?

Although not exhaustive, these questions are important to evaluate with your real estate agent to help prevent making an impulsive purchase in the wrong location.

In addition to location, the next most important questions to ask yourself to ensure a smart forever home purchase center on financial investment.

Focus on Today and the Long Term

At Team Logue, our agents absolutely want you to fall in love with your forever home, but we also want to ensure your investment is well-placed and that you are positioned for long-term satisfaction in that forever home. This requires talking through items that could impact your finances beyond just the negotiated price of the home you purchase.

Here are a few key probes from a financial lens that Team Logue agents might ask to help pressure test the property you are considering:

Is the home the right size for your current and near-term needs or will you need to renovate at some point?

Are there enough bedrooms and bathrooms to grow into?
Is there an appropriately sized driveway or a garage for your vehicles?
What structural elements might need fixing or replacing in the near term, such as the roof, the windows, or the foundation?
Is the yard large enough for your lifestyle wishes?
Is the yard too large for your lifestyle wishes?
Is the neighbourhood desirable for future buyers if you should ever need to sell?
What will the property taxes and utilities cost every month for this home?

Looking for even more tips on how to find and secure the right house? Read the following posts next:

Go Beyond Appearances

Home buyers are often initially aware of a home’s aesthetic presentation, and although that is important, it has less overall impact on long-term satisfaction and financial security.

Paint and fixtures can be upgraded over time.
Gardens and flowers can be planted and tended to as your family grows.

The more important aspects to tease out involve any major restructures and repairs that we feel are best known upfront rather than discovered by surprise in the future.

Now that we have covered the top two aspects – location and finances – of investing in a forever home purchase, you are responsibly prepared to fall in love with your forever home! We at Team Logue are proud to have placed thousands of families in homes that support their continuous growth and lifestyle in communities they are proud to call home.

Sarah Logue and her team live and work across Burlington, Oakville and Hamilton. When the team says, “we’re more than your agents, we’re your neighbours too”, they quite literally mean it!

Contact Team Logue to get started on successfully buying your forever home.

Get in touch with our Burlington real estate agents today by filling out the form on this page, calling us at 905.331.6790, or emailing us at sarah@sarahlogue.ca