Trying to buy a home in Toronto? It can seem like a daunting process when you don’t know where to begin. While a trusted agent is your best ally, it’s helpful to know what you’re looking for in a home before you start your search. That means being clear about your needs versus your wants, and our handy checklist can help.
Questions to ask yourself before buying a home
The following questions are a good starting point when you’re considering purchasing a home:
- What are you looking to change? List your least favourite aspects of where you currently live, and how they can be improved in a new home.
- What type of property suits your needs? Depending on your lifestyle and stage of life, a condominium or townhouse might be a better option if you’re interested in certain amenities.
- How long are you planning to live in your new home? Think about whether you’ll need a home to grow into with a family, or if you’re willing to start smaller to get into the market.
- Are you planning on renovating? Decide whether renovations are in your budget if you find a home that checks most of your boxes—it will widen your search.
Think carefully about ‘must-haves’
It’s easy to get carried away when thinking about what you’d like your new home to have, but the shorter the list, the easier your home search will be. Some personal must-haves are non-negotiable and will help define your home search from the beginning: these could include location if you’re considering commuting to work or thinking about school districts, the number of bedrooms depending on the size of your family, or whether the property has parking if you have a car.
If your must-haves list is getting a bit out of control, remember that being flexible and moving some items to ‘nice-to-haves’ can make your home search smoother.
Consider your ‘don’t cares’
Similarly, creating a list of things you don’t care about in a home will widen the pool of options as well. For example, maybe location isn’t a priority if you’re going to be working from home permanently, or perhaps outdated decor is okay because you’d like to remodel anyway.
Use our handy checklist
Ready to narrow down your home search? Request our checklist to get started. Contact us here!
