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What's the right property for you?

Category Buying

LOOKING FOR A HOME OR INVESTMENT PROPERTY

What's the right property for you?

Are you looking for a new home or investment property? Before deciding which property to buy, you need to think about your lifestyle, your current and anticipated housing needs, and your budget. It's a good idea to create a list of features you want in your new home in order of priority - you'll soon discover that finding the right property involves striking a balance between your "must-haves" and your "nice-to-haves".

If you are looking to purchase a new home to live in, a good place to start is to consider your lifestyle. For example, if you love to cook, you will want a well-equipped kitchen. If you enjoy gardening, you will want a backyard. If you work from home, you may want an extra room to have as a study or work space. If you have several cars, you may require a larger garage. A list of such requirements will form your search guide.

It is also important to think about what you might need in the future. As you consider your housing needs, it's important to think about how long you may live in your home. If you're newly married, you might not be concerned with living close to schools right now, but you could be in a few years' time. If you have older parents or relatives, you may want to look at homes that offer living arrangements for them as well.

It is important to think about a property's location just as carefully as you do its features. Location is a big consideration in any move. In addition to thinking about the distance from your place of work, you need to evaluate the availability of shopping, police and fire protection, medical facilities, school and child-care, traffic and parking, waste collection services and recreational facilities.

Another key decision is the type of property you want. Do you want an apartment or a house? A townhouse or a semi-detached property? What type of construction materials are you after? Would you prefer a brand new property or is age not necessarily a large consideration?

Stand-alone homes offer the opportunity to have a garden, provide more privacy and are generally quieter. However, they are usually more expensive than apartments and generally require more maintenance & security. Alternatively, apartments are typically less expensive than comparable stand-alone houses and may not require any backyard or exterior maintenance. However, they may offer less privacy, could be noisier, have common walls, floors and/or ceilings, and usually require additional expenses such as body corporate fees and levies. Alternatively, if you are looking to purchase an investment property these considerations are important along with others including the ability of a property to be rented out, and the types of tenants you wish to attract.

Be sure to talk to your Century 21 real estate agent about where you want to live and the property features that are important to you. While many buyers are using the Internet to search for properties for sale, it is still a good idea to talk to a Century 21 real estate agent.

The agent can guide you through the entire home buying process; he or she can provide and analyse data, answer questions, share professional expertise, and handle much of the real estate transaction. CENTURY 21 real estate professionals have the know-how to help clients narrow down their purchase choices by sharing market trends and local information and offering accessible, clear and expert advice.

Author: Century 21 South Africa

Submitted 05 Aug 15 / Views 4826