One of the most exciting times in a person’s life is the day they begin thinking about purchasing a home. It doesn’t matter whether you are preparing yourself to buy a home in St. Louis in, Maine or California it can be the most exciting, and at the same time, most stressful time in one’s life. I remember the day we began thinking about our own home. I was full of excitement and fear all in the same breath. Then the stress of
finding a home hit me. Years later we have our home and I wouldn’t change a thing about it except for the kitchen.
You ask, why I am so certain I wouldn’t change a thing? I planned it that way. I knew what I could live with and what I couldn’t live without.
I knew I could live with:
1. Anything needing a cosmetic change – all in due time
2. Small bathrooms – why would I want to clean a huge bathroom or heat one for that matter in today’s economy – I want to simplify my life
3. The bedrooms didn’t have to be huge – for the same reason as settling for a smaller bath
4. Just about any layout provided there was a way to get my son in and out of a bedroom and the main areas of the home
5. There being no garbage disposal – a plumbing expense if it were to fail that I would rather live without.
6. An upstairs – but would much rather not – I’m only getting older – I needed to think of when I would hit old age
I couldn’t live without:
1. A window over my kitchen sink
2. A fan over my stove
3. Nice big closets or many of them
4. Pets
5. Having neighbors close by preferably with children my daughter’s age. I didn’t want to live in the sticks where my daughter would be asking to go to a friend’s house a half mile away. I knew I couldn’t take her if her brother was home and I sure wouldn’t want her walking where I couldn’t see her – so this was high on the priority list.
6. The area around and near my home being somewhat flat land so I could get my son out in his wheelchair
7. A ranch style home. I wanted to prepare myself for the retirement years – now.
8. I needed an open floor plan with plenty of space so there would be plenty of room for people to move about when my son who is in a wheelchair (large) joined us in the main areas of the home.
9. I needed a home that had a room, or one that could easily be added on to the home, that would accommodate my son’s medical equipment long term.
These are only some of the things I could live or live without. Make yourself a list right from the get-go.
Next, I needed to find a realtor that was going to work for ME. I had heard of a Realtor many years before our search began and I contacted her to see if she was still doing real estate and could help us. I told her of my many ‘can’t live without’ criteria needed for my home search. She listened and we went on a hunt. Within no time we found the perfect home. If I had found a Realtor that wasn’t willing to listen to my needs – then that Realtor wasn’t going to be for me and I would have moved on. Remember – it’s your money, your life and you have to do what works for you and your family.
*All views and opinions in this post brought to you by Bucks2blog on behalf of St. Louis Homes for Sale are 100% mine.
