Top 5 Things to Look for in a Home

Starting your home search and wondering what to look for? Well, obviously, you want a home that is (or has the potential to be) attractive, but beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder. Beyond appearance, though, what should you look for? Give these options some consideration:

1. Location. The location of your home in relation to your work or children's school can have a huge impact on how much you enjoy living in your new home. If your commute is 20 minutes longer each way than it could be, will you really be that glad you paid less for the home? Spending 40 additional minutes each day  in your car really adds up and can make the difference between having the time to cook dinner for your family or ordering a pizza. Think of that when you start looking for homes; your time has an intrinsic value and the cost of wasted time can't be accurately calculated.

2. Neighborhood. The character and flavor of a neighborhood is another important factor in whether your new home will be a good fit for you. Lots of mature trees and large yards? That's great -- if you don't mind mowing a large yard. If you do, you may want to consider a townhome or condo where the mowing is taken care of for you as part of your monthly association fee.

Do you like a neighborhood with a lot of diversity or would you rather live around people who are a lot like you? To get a good feel for the mix of people that live in a particular neighborhood, drive around between 5-6pm during the week when people are arriving home from work. This will also give you a good idea of what traffic patterns are like in the neighborhood during peak traffic time.

3. Layout. Think carefully about whether the layout of a home will fit your needs. Do you entertain a lot? If so, you'll want a home that has a good flow between the kitchen and main living areas. Have children? Think about whether you'd like to be on the same level as them or whether you'd be happier having your bedroom somewhat seperate from the children's rooms for added peace and quiet.

Do you do a lot of laundry? You may want to consider whether the laundry area is located in the most convenient area of the home for you to easily haul laundry baskets back and forth between the washer/dryer and the bedrooms. Are you a fan of stairs or do you prefer having a home all on one level? If you're looking for ranch homes in Lexington, KY, you'll have a bit of a challenge on your hands as ranch homes (homes that are all on one level) are harder to come by in Lexington. Because of the aggressive restrictions on new building in the area, builders in the past 15-20 years have concentrated on building 2-story homes to be able to fit more homes on limited land.

4. School District. The quality of education your children receive can't be underestimated. Send them to a low-rated school and they may encounter more drugs/lax classroom standards. But keep in mind that living in one of the best school districts costs more because everyone would prefer to send their kids to the best schools in the county.

Which schools are the best in Fayette County? Click here for a copy of the 2008 CATS test scores for all Fayette County Schools.

5. Condition. There's no doubt that you can get a better deal on a home that needs cosmetic or other work, but are you the kind of person who enjoys doing this kind of work or would it be a giant monkey on your back? Some people truly enjoy working around the home and for those folks, buying a home that has outdated kitchens/baths may be a dream come true -- you get to re-do them the way you want them and it gives you something fun to do after hours. But if you're all thumbs when it comes to household repairs, you're likely to regret buying a home that needs major updates unless you have the budget to hire out all the work.

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