Factors to consider while buying a home

What are some of the important things to look for when you decide to buy a home?

Buying a home is one of the most important decisions in a person’s life. And like all important decisions, this too has to be taken with thought and consideration. Well, priorities are different for different people but there are generally some things that we have to essentially consider when going for buying a home that will be our nest for many years to come.

Some of the important considerations in home-buying are

• Price
• Location
• Access to amenities
• Access to schools and hospitals
• Safety
• Condition of the building

Every family works according to a budget. Comfort and happiness are certainly not about spending money extravagantly but in finding your optimum living space within your monetary limitations. One should have a keen eye for good deals. Also, a futuristic assessment of a property might reveal to you its potential for price appreciation. For example, considering the expansion of software processing zones in our country, an apartment not far away from such a one is definitely an investment in more ways than one.

People like to stay connected. A home not far away from the happening events in town is something most people prefer. You do not want to live removed from your business connections, friends or relations. How strategic is the place of location of the apartment with respect to access to major hospitals, educational institutions, railway station, airport, banks, etc are things worth considering.

Most cities in our country have supermarkets and amenities like petrol pumps, cooking gas provider, fish and vegetable markets, gymnasia, auditoria, stadia, etc are accessible distances. But it definitely helps to have these in your checklist.

Even if you do not have school-going children at the time of buying a home, it makes sense to think long-term and have an eye on good schools in the locality. Same goes for hospital as it is a service everyone uses at various points. If there are members in the family with chronic illnesses, this factor assumes even more important, sometimes the biggest priority.

Good apartments come with adequate security features like surveillance mechanisms. Apart from that you must have an idea of the locality outside the building too. Is there a police station nearby, what is the crime record of the area, how safe is it?

Last but not the least is the condition of the building itself, especially if you are moving into a readymade house. You must check on the credentials of the technical crew involved in its construction and verify the quality and robustness of its plumbing, electrical work, carpentry and environmental friendliness aspects.

People with pets will have to check for how friendly is the apartment and the neighbourhood to animals and birds.

Availability of drinking water, pollution control and means of waste disposal are important day-to-day needs that one needs to be absolutely sure of before settling down for a particular apartment.

When it comes to features of the apartment, there will be preferences like number of bedrooms, bathrooms, balcony, air conditioning, tiling, etc. Take care of those too.

And finally, when you have decided on buying a home, it is prudent to check for home loans and their interests with various financial providers and settle for the best.