How to Build Your Complete House Hunting Checklist

House-hunting is serious business. Buying a home is a decision you’ll live with for a few years to a lifetime. It will become your headquarters, your private retreat, and your family hub. So naturally, there are a few things to put on your checklist when searching for and sorting possible homes to buy.

Most people aren’t born knowing how to shop for the perfect home, so we’re here today to share a little industry insight. Building a checklist is the best way to compare homes, ensuring that all the things you care about are included in your final home decision. Here’s how to make sure your checklist is the complete and useful tool that you need:

Building Your House Hunting Checklist

Define Your Basics

Start with the basic stats about a home that you can easily define. Every house-hunt can be defined by a few basic factors. The city you want to live in, the number of bedrooms you need – these are the basic elements of a house-hunt.

• Region, City, and Neighborhood where you want to live
• Number of Bedrooms
• Range of Square Footage
• House with Yard, Townhouse, or Condo

List Your Priorities for House Hunting

The next step is to identify your own top priorities. Do you want a big kitchen, an extra room for an office, a garage workshop? Maybe you need the home to have a large bathtub, or it wouldn’t be complete without a garden and flower-beds. Maybe you need a home with no stairs or steps. If you’re moving with a household, ask everyone to contribute by adding their top priorities and preferences for a new house.

Define Your Deal-Breakers

Lastly, define what you couldn’t tolerate and wouldn’t prefer. What would cause you to walk away from a home that is otherwise perfect? What have you disliked most about houses in the past, your home, and homes you’ve visited? Write your list of deal-breaks to make it easier to rule out homes you would not enjoy.

Bonus: Special Wishlist For House Hunting

You can also create one more checklist category – a wishlist. Items on this list aren’t necessary, but they would make any home a lot more appealing – like a second-floor balcony or a backyard pool.

Region, City, Neighborhood – Where Do You Want to Live?

Identify where you want to live. Some people are looking for a better home in the same area, some are moving much further away and need to aim precisely. Know both the city and the quadrant you’d like to live in, then look for neighborhoods that fit into that definition.

Number of Bedrooms and Bathrooms

Your household has a size that defines the number of bedrooms you need. Some family members can or want to share, most won’t. Your new home will have a minimum number of bedrooms. Then be sure that a home with enough bedrooms also has enough conveniently placed and sharable bathrooms.

The Master Suite

You may also want to consider master suite designs while house hunting. Avoid suite designs you dislike and aim for suite designs you have enjoyed in the past.

Square Footage Range

Square footage defines your elbow-room. Open-plan houses are the most popular now, focusing the square footage on large, undivided living spaces. Remember to compare square footage when two homes seem identical, one will always be more spacious. You can also define a range of footage in which you think your family would be comfortable to help sort home options.

Kitchen and Living Space Design

Every chef has a preference for kitchen design, including home chefs. Do you want a private enclosed kitchen or an open entertainer’s kitchen? Would you rather a narrow one-person kitchen or a square multi-person kitchen? Consider your favorite and least-favorite kitchen designs and look for homes that you know will be enjoyable to prepare thousands of meals there.

Outdoor Access and Garden Size

Outdoor space matters immensely to some people and matters not-at-all to others. Figure out which one you are to sort your home options. A home with a luxurious lawn and sprawling garden can be a blessing for green-thumbed gardening enthusiasts or a burden for those who would rather a patio or rock-garden that cares for itself.

Pet-Friendliness

If you have pets, absolutely look for homes that are already pet-friendly. You may need to consider the neighborhood attitude on pets, the rules of a condo building, and, of course, the right home amenities. Yards, previously installed pet doors, and hard floors are all points in favor of pets. 

Your Special Preferences While House Hunting

Last but not least, remember to watch for your special wants and wishlist items. If you plan to build a home office, calculate for an extra bedroom or workshop space. You might bump homes with elegant staircases to the top of the list, or homes with solar-ready rooftops. Whatever you want most in a home, you can find it with the right house-hunting checklist.

If you are currently looking for a new home in the Baltimore area, contact me today. As a lifetime local and professional real estate agent, I am ready to help you find the perfect Baltimore home.