What We’re Looking For in Our First Home

Welcome back to the blog, everybody! This is the second installment of my house hunting series I kicked off with last week and I hope you all are as excited for it as I am. Personally, I love lifestyle blogs with relatable and beneficial content, and since a majority of my readers are within the age group of 20-35, I think the topic of house hunting is very relevant within my demographic. Today I’ll be sharing what my husband and I are looking for in our first home including interior and exterior features, preferences and more with a brief rant on the hecticness of the real estate market.

Why make a list? Compiling what you’re looking for really helps with the search process to eliminate houses that may not be the right fit for you. I suggest breaking your list down into categories from most to least important while keeping cost in mind. With that being said, keep reading for what Justin and I are looking for in our first home.

I was warned that the real estate market within our desired area and budget would be absolutely vicious right now, but it’s even more intense than I imagined! A home that was listed Sunday has multiple offers in and a final deadline only 24-48 hours later. Another house we wanted to look at was listed and sold all in ONE DAY. This stuff is no joke, you guys! Tons of houses are going before we even have a chance to drop everything and go look at them — I don’t know how these buyers are doing it! Are they even visiting them before putting in an offer?! If you have any advice, I’d love to hear it!

Alright, back to the post — I thought all of that was important to mention before diving into our desired criteria. We’re not being overly picky in the slightest, but here’s what we’re hoping to have/find in our first place.

HARDWOOD FLOORS

I think a home instantly looks 10x nicer with beautiful hardwood floors throughout, but maybe that’s just because it’s my preference. I’m not picky when it comes to color, real wood or vinyl, but I’m a sucker for wide strip super light hardwood. This won’t make or break whether we buy a certain house or not for me, but it will likely swing our decision a bit.

OPEN CONCEPT

Justin and I were blessed with an open concept apartment for our first place together, and now that I’ve had it, I don’t think I can give it up! I love being able to see and interact with people throughout the entire kitchen and living room space, making the room feel so much larger.

LOTS OF LIGHT

Again, our current apartment has so much light with a few large windows. If I don’t have to turn the lights on at all during the day, that’s what I’m aiming for. Natural light makes homes feel so airy and happy, which are key traits within a happy, relaxing and productive environment for me — and J too!

TWO FLOORS

Though this isn’t a requirement or deal breaker, it is a preference. Justin grew up in a ranch style home with only a basement, so he’s always liked the idea of having a second floor above the main level. We’ve come to find out that we love the open staircases where you can overlook the main floor from the top floor as well — it makes the space feel so big!

WHITE CABINETS

Again, this one isn’t a requirement, but they’re my favorite! I love a bright kitchen with light countertops too, so any house that already has that gets extra points in my book. Though this is the trendiest cabinet color right now, a lot of houses we’ve seen have had brown cabinets, so we’ll see what we get and I’m totally up for painting them.

TWO-CAR ATTACHED GARAGE 

It would be so great if both of us could park in a garage. Thankfully, most of the houses we’ve looked at have had this feature since it’s probably what everyone else wants too, but a couple of our favorites actually haven’t had garages. Having an attached garage would make unloading groceries in the rain or snow so much easier, and will keep the value of the house up when it comes time to sell it in the future.

3 BEDROOM, 2 BATH

We’d love three bedrooms so we can have a guest room as well as an office space, with flex rooms for a baby once we decide to have one in a few years. With Justin being a teacher and me being a blogger, we have extra work to do at home that would be great to do within a designated office space.

FENCED-IN YARD

This is also something that could be added later on, but a house that already has one would be a huge plus. We’ve been putting off getting a dog until we have a house, so it would be so exciting to have a decent-sized, beautiful yard for a future pet to run around in. I prefer the ones with a bit of privacy as well.

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Whether you’re house hunting or not, what are your favorite house qualities and features? Thanks so much for reading and taking an interest in our house hunting journey! It’s so nerve-wracking, stressful and exciting all at the same time, and I want to share as much of the process as I can in hopes of this series being beneficial for you!

Side note before I sign off here: I’ve been sick as a dog, you guys! I had a nasty cold hit me so hard Sunday that I spent the rest of the day in bed with a killer migraine, sinus pressure and a fever — hence why a new blog post didn’t go up on Monday as it normally would have. Thankfully I’m starting to feel a tiny bit better, but cross your fingers for good health for me!