Non-Financial factors to consider when buying a home.

These are the factors I did not considered or valued when I was selecting my first home. Hopefully this article can help you assess any potential homes through my mistakes. These factors can save you money and time. It’s been almost two years since I brought my first single family home in the US with more than sufficient yard space in the suburbs. After commuting to work for over 1 hour one way for two years, I was ready to reduce my commute time.

Source: Forbes.com

I was fixated on living close to work.

My wish list items were:

1. Live within 20 miles of work. Yes, it’s 20 miles, my office is situated in a high-end community where 3/2 single family homes start at 400K. My budget was under 200K thus I had to expand my search radius.
2. Less than two year old roof, HVAC, water heater and air-conditioning unit. These are high ticket expense items when broken so I wanted to have peace of mind for at least 5 — 7 years with proper maintenance and care, of course.
3. Windows that open and close — it’s weird that it was on my top five wish list items but I wanted to enjoy the cool breeze of spring and fall. It saves on your power bill, environmental friendly and it’s useful for additional ventilation.
4. Aesthetically pleasing to the eyes — I didn’t want a project list from day 1 therefore I looked for a flipped home or simple do-it-yourself projects. My new home had fresh paint, new carpet and finished hardwood floors.
5. A large living room and bedrooms that were larger than 10 x 10- this may seem trivial but after adding furniture the space do become smaller.
6. Safe neighborhood with above average ranking school system- safety is important and even though I don’t have children I wanted to be in a school district with high ratings.

Things I should have considered:

1. The distance to any major highway. This is my number one regret even though I don’t go downtown often it would have been better if I live within 10–15 minutes of any major highway. I live at least 25 minutes from the interstate and sometimes I have to navigate local traffic; it can be a pain. Time is money and the less time trying to navigate your way to a highway the better. In addition, the commute time of my roommates- I knew in the beginning I would be living with others and I did not consider their commute. If I was closer to a major highway everyone’s commute would have been shorter.
2. A fenced yard or partially fenced yard— I didn’t value this at first because I did not have any pets at the time when I was house hunting. Fencing provides privacy and protection against wildlife. I love having a spring and summer garden but my entire yard is open to potential deer. During my first year, I built a metal enclosure for my garden that is 15 feet x 25 feet in size. This cost me approximately $750 without labor. What will be the cost if I had to fence the entire perimeter of my property?

Early phase of my garden — before the removal of surrounding trees and fencing.

3. Cost to remove tress — while trees provide the necessary shade to increase energy efficiency as well as providing serenity: too many can hinder the use of your space. For instance, if you wanted to build an accessory building, chicken coop and have an outdoor patio area, you’ll first need to remove the trees. Removing trees can become very expensive: it requires an expert to prevent damage to yourself and your property. There is also the risk of termites infestation, if incurred it’s a huge headache that can potentially disrupted the structure of your home as well as a costly expense to treat and remove.

4. The floor plan layout — my floor plan is open and sound from the hall/living room travels to the bedrooms. I live with roommates so this can sometimes be challenging. If you’re not living with anyone else; this may not affect you.

Chicken Coop (Built in 2020 during the pandemic) & Run- WIP in 2021.

Congratulations on searching for a new home: an exciting but almost painful process. Remember not every home will check every wish list item thus I suggest creating two list: non- negotiable and negotiable items. My experience while house hunting became tiring and after 3 months I took a break from the outbidders, rejections and driving around on weekends and after work. My Realtor was very patient and understanding. The halt worked out in my favor; interest rates were lower and there was less competition in the market due to the opening of a new school year. I eventually landed a home that met my non-negotiable needs.

Remember it’s okay to walk away and not be caught up in a bidding war.

Happy House Hunting — take your time and make the best decision for you and your family.

Jolene