Are you struggling to find your next home?
Nathan Walker, Sales Director, offers some advice to homebuyers struggling to find the perfect home..
Trying to take the next step in life is often centred around finding your next home. Whether it's taking your first step onto the property ladder, scouting out the perfect property to help serve your plans to start a new family, or looking to downsize into a more idealistic retirement home, the search process should be exciting due to the new beginnings on the horizon. However, the stress and pressure of trying to find your next home can also feel overwhelming and put a bit of a dampener on things if you're struggling to find a place that pulls at your heart strings.
Think about the things you're doing to find your ideal home. You probably feel as though you've exhausted searches on portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla time and time again, but are there other things you could be doing? A good place to start could be seeing if your local estate agent has e-mail notifications you can sign up for or social media accounts that you could follow to receive new updates about the latest properties to come on the market.
If you're already doing this and still want some advice to help you find your next home, read on!
Ask yourself if the property actually exists
Now, we certainly don't want to dash your dreams, but it's important to search for a property that's realistically within reach rather than a property that's highly likely to remain nothing but a dream. Your property has to tick the important boxes of course, such as location, price, size, outside space, parking arrangements, local amenities etc. but is it even possible for all of this criteria to be met within your search area? One thing many people do is narrow down their search a little too much, whether that be looking within one specific area or making several things an absolute necessity. Entering property viewings with a bit more of an open mind can often result in homebuyers appreciating certain properties far more than they ever would've thought.
Don't rely on photographs of the property alone
Another common mistake homebuyers make is dismissing properties based on the property photographs alone. If a property seems to meet a lot of your criteria but you're put off because of the images, try to at least give it a chance. The photographs only tell half a story and can often be misleading, whether for good or bad - a property can be redecorated, renovated and completely reimagined, so the true first impression will only come to the forefront when you actually step inside for the very first time. Take a good look at floor plans to see if that can help you come around to the idea of at least viewing a property that you feel you'd otherwise disregard just because of the photographs.
Don't be too nit-picky
Most homebuyers have an extremely good idea of what they want, and this can be very useful when it comes to narrowing down choices provided there's plenty of potential properties on the market. However, it's also common for viewers to dismiss properties because of the one or two missing features. When you first begin viewing properties it can be easy to dismiss something because the kitchen doesn't have an island or because one of the spare bedrooms appeared on the small side, despite the property itself otherwise potentially being the perfect home for you. We'd advise that you view a variety of different properties, including ones that don't necessarily tick every single box. If nothing else, it'll at least make you double sure of exactly what you do want.
Be sure it's the right time to move
Another reason people struggle to find an ideal property is because in the back of their mind they don't truly believe it's the right time. Buying a home and moving, whether the first, third or fifth, is always a big milestone in our lives, so it's all too easy to rush in and let emotions get in the way of sensibility. If you have any concerns or doubts about selling, buying or about the process in general, talk to your estate agent. It's important for you to sell and buy at the right time for you.
If you're looking to buy or sell a property in Cardiff, don't hesitate to get in touch with our expert team here at CPS Homes. We're here to guide you through the entire process and we're ready to answer any questions you may have. Contact us by calling 02920 668585, e-mail enquiries@cpshomes.co.uk or pop into one of our three Cardiff branches.
The information contained within this article was correct at the date of publishing and is not guaranteed to remain correct in the present day.
