Identify priorities when shopping for a new home

Do you know the most important item to consider when looking for a home? Only you can possibly know what features are essential to you and your family. For many people, the top priority may be price, neighborhood, number of bedrooms, or possibly some combination of the three. Someone else may list a backyard that can accommodate pets as their must-have feature before they will consider any other criteria. The point is that you must decide what aspects of a home are most important to you when you are in the market for a new home. Once you prioritize your requirements, you can determine if that one-car garage is a deal-killer for an otherwise perfect home.

You have a lot to consider when buying a home. Not only must you find a property you like, but you must deal with financing, negotiations, inspections, an appraisal, title insurance and a survey. The list is lengthy. With so much information competing for your attention, you might easily overlook details of a home that could significantly affect your future enjoyment of it. Here are a few to keep in mind:

Schools — According to a recent National Association of Realtors profile of home buyers and sellers, 32% of Texas home buyers listed the quality of a neighborhood’s school district as a factor in purchasing a home. That number increases to almost 40% for married couples and 55% of respondents who have children under the age of 18 living at home who listed the school district’s quality as a factor in their decision.

Traffic — If you want to live in a quiet neighborhood where you can work from home in peace, walk the dog or ride bikes with your kids, you may not want to live on a street with heavy traffic. Sometimes a road can be fairly quiet most of the day, only to fill with cars during commute times or if a nearby school is letting out. The best way to know for sure is to visit the property at different times of day and on weekdays and weekends.

Landscaping — Do you plan to put your green thumbs to use? If so, you want to know if deer or other wildlife pose a challenge to gardens in the neighborhood. Maybe you prefer to limit your time maintaining a yard, so consider what will be required to keep the current landscape healthy or to replace it with lower-maintenance options.

Predicting the future — Any new roads or developments in the area can change your living experience significantly. A view of undeveloped land now could be a new neighborhood, roadway, or multifamily housing in the future. Better to find out before you buy a home if the plans for the neighborhood fit in to your view of how you want to live.

Room to grow — If you’re buying with the thought of eventually adding a secondstory to the house, building a home office in the back yard or installing an in-ground pool, find out if the property itself can accommodate what you have in mind. Remember to make sure that zoning or homeowners association rules don’t prohibit your plans either.

Your Realtor can help answer these questions. Bear in mind that no property is

flawless — even new homes. A qualified home inspector will look for any major defects, giving you time to make an informed decision about whether to continue with the purchase, renegotiate or terminate the contract. Never buy a home without getting a professional inspection.

The home you buy probably will also contain a few unique quirks, some that you uncover before you purchase it, others that may show after you move in. Maybe the dishwasher makes a strange noise or the bathroom door opens in a way that bumps the mirror. Keeping expectations realistic will allow you to see past minor issues and enjoy your home.

For more real estate information for the entire state of Texas, please visit HAR.com.