Top Items to Look for When Searching for a New Home

Looking for a home in Minnesota isn't very easy right now. A lack of new construction and an increase in demand since the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in a housing shortage in the Twin Cities, creating a seller's market that's difficult for home buyers to navigate. The few available homes are selling at a breakneck pace and well above the asking price.

If you're searching for a new home in the Twin Cities, it may be tempting to immediately purchase the first available house that you see. However, while the difficult market may require a quicker decision than in years past, it's still important to make sure a house is of good quality and suits all of your needs before you buy. Here are some important items to consider before you place an offer on a home.

6 Qualities That Every Good Home Should Have

1. The Neighborhood - When looking for a new home, the first item that you should consider is the neighborhood in which that home is located. A good neighborhood should be safe, clean, well-kept and located in convenient proximity to amenities like hospitals, schools, restaurants and grocery stores. If the neighborhood feels rough and dirty, it's probably not somewhere you want to live, even if the house itself is appealing. Besides, a good neighborhood will give your house better resale value when you decide to move again. Fortunately, the Twin Cities have lots of good places to live. In Minneapolis, Loring Park and Linden Hills are some of the best neighborhoods to look at. In St. Paul, try searching in Como Park or Malacaster-Groveland. If you'd prefer to buy a house farther outside the Twin Cities, there are plenty of high-rated suburbs like Eden Prairie, Plymouth and Chanhassen.

2. The Yard - If you're more the indoorsy type, having a nice yard might not matter to you. But if you like to spend time outside, and especially if you have kids or dogs with lots of energy, having a good yard is one of the most important things to consider when looking for a home in Minnesota. Even if you don't care that much about your yard, having a sizable and well-tended outdoor property will always increase the value of your house when it comes time to sell. The closer you move to downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, the harder it will be to find a good yard. Downtown homes tend to have small yards which offer very little privacy from neighbors, while suburban properties tend to have the advantage of bigger yards.

3. The Roof - What's the costliest thing that many new homeowners have to deal with soon after moving in? The roof. If you find a house that you like, it's vital to inspect the quality of the roof. Should you see visible storm damage, make sure that the sellers are willing to pay to have it fixed. If they're not, keep on looking. Even if a roof looks fine from ground level, it's still important to have the roof inspected for damages before you begin negotiating on price. The national average cost of a roof replacement is $8,000, which is a whole lot of money you don't need to spend right after putting a down payment on a house.

4. The Style - Depending on your budget and timeline, the style of your home is something that you might be willing to compromise on. Still, when searching for a new home in Minnesota, there are plenty of style options to choose from and there's no reason you shouldn't try to find something you like. After all, a house is a huge investment, so you should invest in one with a style that appeals to you. Among the most popular styles of homes in Minnesota are mid-century modern ranch, modern farmhouse and Spanish colonial. Houses built in these styles might be a more expensive purchase but are also likely to be a great investment which will only increase in value over time.

5. The Interior Layout - So you've found a house that looks great from the outside, is in a nice neighborhood and is built on a good piece of land. Now, the only question is: does it have what you need on the inside? Every homeowner's needs are different, of course. If you have a large family, or are planning to have one, multiple bedrooms are a must. On the other hand, if you're a single adult or you just have one child, moving into a two-bedroom or three-bedroom home should be plenty. If you're an avid cook, having a spacious and well-designed kitchen is important; if you're more reliant on take-out and TV dinners, maybe a small kitchen isn't a bad thing. If you're working remotely, a big office is probably important to you. But if you do most of your work at the office, maybe you don't feel the need for one. If movie nights with the family are an important part of the week, a living room with space for a sofa, some armchairs and a big media center is a huge bonus, but that probably won't matter as much if you're more the type who likes to read and watch TV in bed. The bottom line is, everyone has a different idea of how a house should be laid out to suit their needs. When you're looking for a new home, it's important to buy one that's designed in a way that fits your lifestyle.

6. The Interior Space - Just like everyone has a different idea of how the rooms of a house should be laid out, everyone has different needs for living space. Some buyers are perfectly happy with a small, cozy one-floor house that has just enough space for them to live comfortably. Other buyers have too much stuff for almost any home, and want to live somewhere with bedrooms and storage spaces to spare. Moving into a house with too much space that you don't know what to do with can be just as problematic as moving into a house without enough space to comfortably fit all of your possessions. Smaller houses tend to run cheaper, so finding one that's just big enough for you may benefit you financially.

Professional Help With Buying a Home in the Twin Cities

When you decide to purchase a home in the Twin Cities, it's best to work with knowledgeable local realtors who can help you find a house that fits all of your wants and needs. Reach out to Chris Fritch Team at eXp Realty today for top-tier home buying assistance in the Twin Cities metro area!