Location Location Location

The three most important factors in finding the right home is LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. The location of your new home is critical. How far will you have to drive to work? How good are the local schools, shopping centers, public transportation, senior' services and other neighborhood amenities? Will your new neighbor be a vacant lot or a commercial property? Even a picture-perfect dream home can be a mistake if it is in an undesirable location. A poorly located home can be particularly a bad choice, if you anticipate selling the home within a few years.

Checklists are a great way to remember what you like or do not like about the houses you see. Rather than relying on memory, make notes about the homes you visit. Turn your priorities into a personalize home-shopping checklist and use it to track the features of each home.

Feel free to open closets and cabinetry. Look in storage areas and crawl spaces. Most sellers provide information sheets about the home and you can add your own notes to these fact sheets. It is easy to "fall in love" with a house, but before it becomes your home, you might want to "check off" these additional considerations:

1. Will your furniture fit in the new spaces?
2. Are there enough bathrooms to serve the needs of your family now and in the near future?
3. Are there comfortable spaces for any overnight visitors?
4. Which schools serve this address? Are there other children in the area?
5. How far is the home from work, school or recreation?
6. Will pets be comfortable in the new surroundings? Does the community have pets' restrictions?
7. How old are the heating, cooling and roofing systems and are they in good working order?
8. Is the home protected against unexpected repairs by a home warranty plan?