by Allen Teal

Created on: June 24, 2009

The time has come to make the move. You have reached the point where the decision to purchase your first house is just waiting on you to take the next step. The thought of a multiple decade long mortgage is daunting. Making a loan of this magnitude is never an easy choice. Questions come faster than answers for awhile. You have so many important considerations when buying a house. It works best to break them down into a few smaller pieces and deal with them one at a time.

How much house do you need?

When buying a house, your needs should be more important than your wants. List your needs first. This should be a relatively short list. You must decide how many bedrooms and bathrooms are required for your family to function. If you already own furniture, you need enough floor space in the various rooms for it to all fit if you plan to keep it.

Do not forget to consider storage needs.

If you are a pack rat, you may want to limit the amount of storage to restrict your collecting tendencies. However, if you have to maintain more than one type of clothing because of job and hobby requirements, you may need significant extra closet and storage space available.

Count the garage, basement, and possible out buildings into your space requirements.

Houses come with a large variety of different areas that can be used for storage or living space. A two or three car garage can offer enough surplus room for a work area or extra closets. A house with a dry basement may be able to handle an extra bedroom or two and perhaps a bathroom if it can be used as a lower level rather than just a basement. At the very least, basements give most houses a good place for the laundry room and some possible exercise equipment.

Detached garages and other types of detached buildings and sheds can take a lot of pressure off of interior storage space. All yard equipment and tools can stored there. Sometimes a nice building can be turned into a work shop area or even become extra entertainment space if it is nice enough and large enough.

After needs, you should consider your wants when buying a house.

Part of the fun of buying something as large and expensive as a house is being able to get something more than just a place to live and store your stuff. A larger kitchen area is a desirable extra for many home buyers. Having a large fenced yard can be a big plus if pets or children are involved. A nice patio or deck can up the entertainment potential of a new house. A house

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