Property

How to Buy a Forever Home

Posted on: Wednesday, October 5, 2016

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Is a ‘forever home’ a myth? Your personality, or perhaps your finances, may well dictate whether you find a forever home or a ‘for now’ home. There are people who know exactly what they want and stick to it, but it will take a lot to settle on one property and stay with it.

To find a property to last a lifetime, consider these 5 main points: 

1. Flexibility
Being realistic is what makes a home last forever – the demands you make on your space will change. The current trend for open plan living spaces could work in your favour as you will be able to zone the space differently according to your needs; dining space can soon become a play area, for example. 

Think about the style of the property, not so much the décor but the structural elements; sleek, modern lines maybe give you thrills now, but could mean sharp edges for small children. You want a property that suits you, but one that you could also suit you in 20 years. You don’t need to be psychic to know that when something is appealing to you because it's the trendiest place you’ve seen and your friends will love it, it may not be the best choice for a forever home.

Thinking too far into the future can be scary, but what if your grandfather needed to come and live with you in the next couple of years? Think about how your older relatives navigate the space and use that as a guide for the practicality of a home.

Something else to consider is whether you might need to rent some, or all, of the space out. What if you want to travel or your children emigrate? Thinking about the space in these terms will help to see how applicable it will be to your changing life. 

2. Location

This is always a huge factor in finding the right home. But when it comes to your forever home, taking a closer look at all your needs will allow you to future-proof, as far as possible at least. Education from pre-school through to sixth form should be factored in.

Lasting homes should be well facilitated too - from bus routes to shops, the more local amenities available, the more robust your home will be for whatever circumstances appear on the horizon. 

Like this post? Read more about how to find the right property for you here. 

3. Costs 

An efficient home will make a great deal of difference. A sprawling mansion with tennis courts and a pool may seem like it will cater for every eventuality, perfect for children’s parties and social gatherings, but space often equals costly maintenance.

What’s more, buying a drafty old property that you never properly repair, one that’s always in need of a little mending here and there, will fritter your money away. Choose a home you can afford to fully repair if necessary, or stir towards a cost-effective home you know you can heat through the winters.

In short, for longevity find an efficient house!  

4. Can you sell it?
This is important: things change, you may want to move! Forever rarely means forever these days and we find more and more that change isn’t so hard – getting bored with you property can easily be fixed. So, don’t think only about your life in a property, ask yourself who would want it if you put it up for sale? Don’t pick, or develop, a property which is too niche.