Buying the right family home
Nathan Walker, Sales Director, discusses a few things buyers should think about when preparing to search for their dream family home...
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes.
Searching for the perfect family home to take the next important step in your life is a truly exciting time, but it can also seem incredibly daunting. In fact, searching for and buying a property at any time of your life can seem daunting, but there are some differences when it comes to a home you plan on spending a huge portion of your life living in while raising a family.
For example, your first property may not have such an emphasis on space or location, and you may be more interested in the cost of utility outgoings as you get to grips with budgets and wanting to ensure you don’t overpay if you don’t necessarily plan to spend many years living in the property. While the things you look for in a family home will be very different to the things you look for if you’re downsizing for retirement.
Regardless of market conditions, the only rightful time to dive into a property hunt for a long-term family home is when you feel you’re at the right stage of your life to do so. The most important things to consider are exactly what it is you need from the house and its location.
Assess your budget
As with any property purchase, it’s important to fully understand your budget from the outset so that no time is wasted looking at properties that are not realistically within reach.
Furthermore, knowing what your budget is allows you to quickly narrow down some of the more important aspects of your house hunt. How many bedrooms will you need? There will likely be a minimum number you and your family (or future family) will require, and your budget could instantly impact the areas you can search in to meet your minimum criteria.
Read: 5 tips to prepare you for house buying
List your most important aspects
Along with the number of bedrooms you require, there will also be many of aspects of a family home that are most important to you. Would you like a large garden for the children to play in? A driveway with a garage for two or more vehicles? Are suitable schools and general amenities within acceptable reach?
There’s also the question of new build properties vs older builds. Some families appreciate everything being high spec and brand new, while others prefer the additional character and personality that comes with many older, large family homes.
If time is on your side, you may even consider a large property that’s in dire need of renovation. This can mean you snap up a property at a fantastic price - provided you’re willing to put in the work to craft it into the dream home you’d always wanted.
Read: Best areas to live in Cardiff for a family
Shortlist the homes that stand out
After hours of scrolling through property listings, you’re sure to come up with a shortlist (or longlist!) of homes that stand out against the rest. These favourites of yours, or at least the top 5 or so to begin with, should all be viewed to give you a better idea of what you really think of them as you compare them to each other. It’ll also help you truly nail down exactly what it is you’re looking for in a family home, as you may soon discover during these viewings that certain features you may have not even otherwise considered appear more important to you than you first thought.
Before buying, conduct all necessary checks
Although you may find your dream home and believe everything appears just fine at first glance, it’s extremely important you carry out critical checks and property surveys to ensure there are no nasty hidden surprises. The last thing you want to do is buy the home, begin raising your family, and then encounter costly and perhaps even extremely dangerous issues several months or years down the line - all because you didn’t take the time and investment to conduct extensive surveys.
If you need help searching for your dream family home in Cardiff, don’t hesitate to reach out to our friendly and knowledgeable property sales team here at CPS Homes. With branches right across Cardiff, we’re fully aware of the local market and all areas of the city, and we’re able to utilise our expertise by ensuring you’re looking in exactly the right places for the home that ticks all boxes. Get in touch with us by calling 02920 668585, e-mailing enquiries@cpshomes.co.uk or by popping in branch to speak to us.
The information contained within this article was correct at the date of publishing and is not guaranteed to remain correct in the present day.
