Finding the best value for money when house-hunting

House hunting is a complex task. It seems simple, right? Look at a house, like it, want to buy it. If you have enough money, you buy it. If only that’s how easy the process worked. House hunting, at least for most people who do not have millions to spare, is a careful process. It’s not simply the acquisition of a new belonging or product, such as when you visit a grocery shop. It’s the transition from one life to another.

Even if moving across the street, you will notice a few things change. How your home is located, how it feels, how you greet your neighbors, how the sun lands on your garden, how secure you can make your home. All these considerations are less than 0.01% of important in the massive amount of things you need to get used to, or how settled you feel in the transition to a new life.

This means that you want to start house hunting* on the best way possible. This, perhaps mainly, involves getting the most for your money. That’s a great ideal. It sounds great! For that reason, I wish to try and help you find this, and potentially help you unlock the keys to your new life with much more comfort, appreciation and belief in yourself and your family’s new direction.

Let’s see what you should consider:

It can be that some matters of a house value extend beyond the simple idea of valuation, how that might depreciate, and you might need to invest in remodeling or renovating. Some things might be out of your control, but still quite relevant to what you might consider ‘value.’ The social element surrounding a property is certainly part of this, and it does truly count. It might be that if you struggle to speak to neighbors, there’s a high crime rate in the area, or potentially even an environment not particularly appropriate for children (such as on a street known for student bars,) It could be that even the nicest house might lose much of its value for you personally. The social element can go a long way in dictating how you consider a house.

A great way to figure out if this is right for you includes talking to the neighbors of the property if possible. Tell them you’re seriously considering putting an offer in (even if that’s not true,) and that you wanted to know more about the people in the surrounding area, such as if they communicate, if there are any strange rivalries or drama that has occurred and you need to know about. Some might consider this nosy, but many will be happy to talk about the things they might have only been able to express to their partner or family, especially in the interest of making new local friends. It can also be that talking to people who know the area well, such as a local baker, could give you more of an impartial context. Who knows? This might be the positive tipping point you need to potentially go ahead with the purchase, or run far away from it.

We can often constrain ourselves too tightly in our house search. Of course, sometimes this is absolutely important. We all have certain criteria that comes above all. Perhaps you have a new job in a big city, and you wish to live no more than 15 miles away from the city. But it can sometimes be that your criteria is a little more open. Perhaps you’re willing to live abroad, but you’re not quite sure yet. You want to go somewhere new that feels in continual development*, has a wonderful culture and perhaps a set of geographical virtues you could appreciate each and every day.

Sometimes that might be in your country, other times it could be in another state or across the border and ocean. For example, considering Setia Alam property for sale* in Malaysia, a summer house in Spain or Caribbean, might expose you to wonderful property you are sure to find beauty in, at an incredibly competitive cost to property you might find elsewhere for much more money and much less quality.

Of course, travel abroad is a lifestyle change. It’s not a decision you make on a whim. But if you wish to engage with that process, the benefits it could give you are almost second to none, and that can be truly wonderful to get to grips with. It simply depends on how much you are willing to get used to. If you manage to do that, then you can find yourself finding a truly rejuvenating interest in your new life progression.

Hiring a house inspector* after you decide to put in your offer, and for it to be accepted is a normal situation. But you also need to spend a little time inspecting the inspector you will hire. If that isn’t too confusing, of course. It might be that a superficial glance over the property could reveal nothing wrong. But actually being willing to look in the right places, to manage a deep dive without being invasive in someone’s home, and trying to find that middle ground could potentially lend you a whole host of possible repairs you realize you need to make.

This can be hard to achieve. It takes a strong eye. Ideally, the home should even be inspected more than once. With your ability to find someone worthwhile, to confirm the land border of ownership, to ensure that the home foundations are strong and cared for, and that there is no potential sinking or worse. You will feel more secure in actually opting to move in. After all, a home can be a extremely good value on paper, but if you need to reinvest half of the asking price to make the place safe and functional? That’s not ideal.