12 steps of what to look for in a dream house

12 steps of what to look for in a dream house

I love house-hunting. Whenever a friend tells me they are looking for a house, I tend to flood them with information and house listings. I'm a bit of a nut that way. I love going with my friends to look at houses. When I was looking for my house, we looked for a year and a half, and saw over 200 houses. Since then, I've probably seen around 400.

Here are some concepts to think about while looking for your dream house.


1.  The most important thing is to fall in love with the neighborhood, and then find a house that you love in that neighborhood.  A well-established neighborhood with a canopy of trees is usually a wonderful place to live and more easily sold when it comes time to resell.  There are even still areas where a child can walk to school.  In this area, there are also subdivisions where many houses have an incredible view of hills or skyline.  And the neighborhood should be no more than 20 minutes away from work.  Otherwise, you'll be exhausted from traffic by the time you get home, and your family life will suffer.

2.  The number one feature in a house is a good kitchen. It needs to be roomy with a lot of light. You will spend most of the time in the kitchen, and when guests come over, they always congregate in the kitchen. Having a lovely kitchen is a great reselling point, and it makes a woman happy about a house. I've known women to get severely depressed over the state of the kitchen - it is truly the most important room in the house. Even if you are not much of a cook! :)



3. Another room that is a great bonus (especially with kids) is a utility room. Having an actual room and not a closet makes laundry so much easier (especially when you are doing a load every day/ two days because of baby/kid wet clothes, sheets, etc.) A laundry room with a sink is a super plus.


4. A nice extra feature is a sunroom for kids - it allows kids to get sunlight on cold or rainy days. This is not necessary, but it is nice. Also really nice is a great master bathroom that can be a real retreat for a stressed out mother - think bubble baths in a jacuzzi, claw foot, or garden tub. :)


5. Having a garage in the back is extremely helpful - the driveway is long enough that a kid can easily ride a tricycle, nobody can look into your garage, and the street is empty of cars. This was the most important thing on my checklist. Our driveway is also gated, which I find to be very nice as people can't wander into our yard and kids can't wander out.
I would avoid houses with converter garages - garages that have become living rooms or bedrooms. They are very hard to resell. Most people want a garage they can park their expensive cars in, or store boxes of their stuff.


6.  One of my favorite features (and a personal must-have) of a house is the front porch.  Its somewhere to sit on a nice day to watch the world go by and your kids play.  Its great for breathing in fresh air and reading a book.  And my family loves sitting on the porch watching the rain fall.



7.  Also, subdivisions that only have 2 or 3 ways to get in and out are awesome. You never have to worry about thorough-traffic or trucks or anything like that. Only people that belong to the neighborhood and their visitors will be the only ones driving through. Except househunters of course!



8.  2 story houses with kids can be doable, but I would avoid them as I know most kids have fallen down the stairs at least once, if not once a year, which is super scary for a mom.
Also, I hate carrying a baby or toddler up stairs, its a bit nervewracking.


9. Having at least 2 baths is a must, and having a half bath for guests is extremely nice, especially as the other bathroom will be filled with kid stuff.


10.  Storage.  Whether you are a minimalist or a pack rat, storage is still a premium feature.  Also, think about putting in built-in bookshelves, or lining a closet with cedar.   And with the warehouse stores, creating garage shelving is easier than ever.  But keep your boxes and shelves labeled, don't let it accumulate.  Check out my post on How to Get Rid of your Stuff for ideas on cutting down the clutter.



11. The more houses you look at, the more you will get a feel for a good quality house vs. a house that is a box. A good quality house will have far less problems than a quickly constructed low quality house.
If you can avoid a "starter home" I would. You never know how long you are going to be in the house, it could be 5 years, but it could also be 20 or the rest of your life. If I had to live in my house for the rest of my life, I would be perfectly ok with that. I really like my house and my neighborhood, and I do not believe that the neighborhood will deteriorate at all.


12. Basically, to start, get a list of houses together - about 20 to 25 houses - take a Saturday and drive to these houses. Most are usually empty so you can look through the windows and in the back yard. Then drive around the neighborhood and see if you like it.  Find a peaceful neighborhood that is kid-friendly, walking-friendly, and well-established, and you have found yourself a winner! Then pick out the five or six houses that you liked best and want to see more of, and call a real estate agent to set up an appointment and then you can see all of them at once. Five/six houses in the same area/neighborhood usually takes about 2 hours. Don't forget your digital camera or camcorder to help you remember all the fine details.