When you are a first-time buyer, you go into the process with the idea that the whole thing will be a breeze. You’ll find your dream home within a couple of weeks of looking, your offer will be accepted straight away, and within a couple of months, you are all moved in. Two weeks down the line, you will start to realize just how wrong that premonition was! The property market can be a minefield, to say the least, and it can be exceptionally hard to find a property that meets both your needs and the needs of your family. Sometimes it can be hard to find what you like because some real estate companies advertise better than others. When looking for a new place to live, a good place to start is to consider the type of property available to you in the first place. This allows you to narrow down the list and should make finding that dream home a lot easier AND a lot quicker.
A rural retreat
For some of us, the idea of getting away from it all in the country is a pretty appealing prospect. City life can be fun while you are young and have no responsibilities, but many of us soon grow tired of it. Retreating to a more rural location can have many benefits for both yourself and your children. Regarding you, you will find that the property prices in quiet rural areas are much lower than they are in busy, thriving cities. You will most likely pay off your mortgage much quicker on a rural property, helped by the fact that living costs are usually much lower in the countryside too. There are already many homes for sale in rural areas at reasonable prices. As far as your children go, they can enjoy being able to grow up somewhere much safer than the average city – and no child is going to turn out all that outdoor space in which to play!
A high-rise city apartment
Most people dream of the ideal penthouse flat at some point in their lives. These types of properties can be amazingly convenient; rather than being stuck in traffic for hours every day on your commute, you can simply walk to work/walk your kids to and from school. Unfortunately, very few people with children do actually buy apartments, though. Unless you can afford a penthouse, apartments are generally pretty small, and the lack of outdoor space can be a real issue for most people.
A suburban townhouse
A happy medium for many people is the typical suburban townhouse. Granted, these still don’t come cheap. But what you do get with this type of property is variety – they come in all shapes and sizes, so even if you want to buy an investment property you should be able to find something that suits your needs. However, the market for these kinds of houses is very competitive – you may find a house that you think is perfect, only to find that it gets snapped up before you can even pick up the phone to the realtor. Buying a home is never easy, but by knowing straight out what kind of home you want, you can make the whole process much less painful.
