Prioritizing What is Really Important in your Home Search

Looking for your dream Atlanta home or townhome? Look for the home you need at the price you can afford, suggests the experts at the Equifax Finance blog. In their recent article, “What Kind of Mortgage Can You Afford?” buyers are encouraged to assess what is really important in a home (not just their “likes” or “nice-to-haves” but necessities) and go from there. Think about amenities and features. Is a pool a must? How about parking? Proximity to parks? How many bedrooms? How large of a yard is necessary? Also think about the total costs involved with a home; not just the monthly mortgage payment, but utilities and transportation costs. Utilities in a larger home will be higher. Transportation costs in a home farther from work will be higher.

Many buyers fall into the trap of a big, beautiful home with oodles of features and amenities that is so far from work they spend their little free time in the car commuting to and from work. Decide what amenities and features are a requirement to start your search for a new home. Don’t get bedazzled by flashy features; keeping in mind the costs associated with those. Is a home 15 minutes closer to work worth 400 less square feet or not? It is a personal decision; and you may need some additional help sorting through the information. If so, visit the Equifax Finance blog for the full article and loads of other helpful resources on home buying, finances, retirement, insurance, protection from identity theft and more!