Every single one of us has a dream home. It’s something that we all start thinking about very early in our lives, probably once we’re exposed to the fact that there are so many different kinds of homes out there.

We start to visit our friends houses and see how things are different there or we start to recognize the homes we see on television and it becomes clear to us that what kind of home we end up in is up to us in many ways. 

Not entirely of course, because if most of us really had our way we would be living in mansions or penthouse apartments in New York, but there comes a point for all of us where we settle into a permanent home, and we all have a different vision of what we want that home to be.

For some of us it’s a family home in suburbia, some look for a quiet patch of land in the countryside and some of us are apartment people. Regardless of what you’re looking for, when actually choosing your dream there are many things to consider.

You have a bunch of questions you need to ask yourself before actually committing to a home. So let’s take a look at a few:

Price

Some people will say that when buying a house, you should base your approach on what you can afford as opposed to what you like. In a sense, I agree but I also think that it should be somewhat of a balance between the two.

Obviously you should set a budget and try to stick to it, but if you find a place that you really like which is slightly out of your price range, then look into a mortgage or another kind of loan and see if it's worth it.

The majority of people who buy a house will need to take out a loan and it will be something that you’re paying off for many years afterwards, but you can be smart about the type of loan that you go for.

There are some which are more flexible, some which charge less interest, some which can have different benefits if you’re buying in a rural area or if you’re purchasing a new home after selling a previous residence.

Don’t write off a home that you really like if you feel like it’s too far out of your price range or the prospect of a standard feels a bit too daunting. There are numerous options here for you to explore.

Location

There are a ton of things to think about when it comes to location. It’s not as viewing the house and being impressed with how the surrounding area looks in that moment, you have to think long and hard about what exactly you’d be moving into.

Do a lot of research about the area. Find out about crime statistics, proximity to potential health hazards such as waste facilities or sewage treatment plants, find out if there are likely to be noise complaints.

Also look into what might be planned for the area in the future. It might seem like a nice, quiet neighbourhood but there could be plans in place to build a giant bridge just down the road from the house or tear down the placid forest nearby to replace it with an office building.

The thing about finding your dream home, is that you can’t just consider the house itself. It might have everything that you want out of a house but just be in an area that is going to make living there very unpleasant and you may have to consider letting the place go if it’s in an undesirable environment.

Future

As we mentioned earlier, almost all of us will reach a point where we move into the house in which we are going to be settling down for the rest of our lives and that time comes at a different point in life for everyone.

Generally these days people will be in their thirties and beyond, but some people will find themselves in a position to purchase their dream home much earlier than that. And if you are one of those, you need to think hard about the future. 

As you get older your priorities change and your desires change and what you think your dream home is when you’re 25 might not be what you actually end up wanting for the rest of your life when it comes time to settle down.

Maybe you don’t think you want a family, and even if you’re very sure of that in your twenties it is something that a lot of people change their mind on. If you commit to an apartment that you will be paying the mortgage off on for thirty years, raising a family becomes more difficult should it become a priority.

Now I’m not saying that you should try to work out what your priorities will be in ten years' time because it’s impossible to know, but maybe don’t jump on a home which seems like it’s right too hastily when you’re still young.

Condition/Renovation Possibilities

You should look at a house you find as a work in progress. What I mean by this is that if you view a place that’s in a good location and in your price range but is not in good condition, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t be morphed into your dream home with some work.

Obviously some places are beyond repair or would cost too much to renovate, but there are many which will be salvageable with  some time and money. If it needs new floors and a new paint job that can be achieved pretty easily.

If it has a pest problem that’s also something that can be dealt with unless it’s more of a street or neighbourhood wide issue. And if you need a bit more space, even that might not be such a problem.

Crunch some numbers, get a feel for the likelihood of planning permission in the area in terms of building an extension and check out CADdetails too, you’ll find a ton of info on there about what you’d need to take on a building project. 

When considering your dream home, no one wants to think about it in such practical terms, but if you do look at it from all of these angles, then your dream home may not have to remain a dream. 

If you put in some time, some deliberation and make a few compromises, the right choice won’t prove to be as difficult as you might think.

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