When you are shopping for your dream home, you focus a lot on the building itself: its architectural style, its interior layout, its square footage, the sizes of individual rooms, and its features. But how much thought do you put into the outdoor spaces that come with your property, like the yards, deck, porch, patio, and so on?
This post goes over some questions you can ask yourself when you are shopping for a home to ensure that the outdoor spaces will meet your needs.
7 Outdoor Considerations When Buying a Home
- How much time do you like to spend outdoors? If you do not spend much time outdoors, you probably can forego most outdoor features, and instead focus your budget on getting interior features you like. Having a nice yard or garden might help you check a box that seems important, but it might not be worth the effort or the expense. But if you spend a lot of time outside, it may be worth prioritizing pleasant outdoor spaces, as well as an exterior you find beautiful to look at. Having a nice patio or a beautiful garden can become one of your favorite things about owning your own home.
- What geographical area are you in? This question is relevant because it helps you assess environmental factors such as weather and insects that could impact how you use and enjoy your outdoor spaces. For example, a home with a screened-in porch might be a great option if you are in an area that has a lot of biting insects. To give another example, in a hot, sunny climate, a yard with trees could provide a more comfortable outdoor space (and might even help you keep your interior cooler too). Or, of you live in a snowy location and your kids love playing in the snow, a backyard with a little hill could let your kids sled.
- How much maintenance are you willing to put into your outdoor spaces? Outdoor spaces require work to maintain. How much work can vary quite a lot though. A xeriscaped landscape could be a nice low-maintenance option. If you are okay with doing more work, a lawn with lots of trees and a garden could be suitable. If you hate raking leaves, maybe pick a yard that features evergreen trees instead of deciduous trees.
- Do you have kids or pets? If you have children or pets, think about how they will use your yard. Pick a house that gives them room to run around and play, and ideally includes important safety features such as a fence.
- What outdoor activities do you like to do? Speaking of outdoor activities, what do you like to do outside? Do you prefer to get your hands dirty out in the garden, or would you rather kick back on your deck with a refreshing beverage and a good book? Perhaps both? Pick a home that caters to what you love to do.
- How much can you afford over the long term to take care of your outdoor spaces? As we mentioned previously, if you want to do all the maintenance on your outdoor spaces by yourself, it can be time-consuming and involve a lot of labor. But there is an alternative, which is to pay someone else to take care of it. This might also be necessary for some types of features now and again, such as a backyard pool. Be sure to budget how much the home will cost not only in terms of your mortgage, but also in terms of any long-term outdoor maintenance costs you will have. Also, remember that even if you are doing most maintenance yourself, you may still have costs for supplies (i.e. gardening and yard tools and materials).
- How much flexibility do you need from the Homeowner’s Association? Something else to think about when you are choosing a house is how the Homeowner’s Association will impact your life with respect to your outdoor spaces. For example, let’s say you find two similarly-priced homes in different neighborhoods. Both of them have yards with awesome potential, but both could use significant amounts of landscaping to get them to where you want them to be. You do some research, and discover that the HOA for the first home is pretty draconian. They have a ton of restrictive rules that would prevent you from personalizing your space the way you want. But the HOA for the second home is much more lenient, and will not impede your outdoor projects with annoying restrictions. In that case, purchasing the second house makes more sense, all other things being equal.
Get a Flexible Mortgage to Buy Your Dream Home
Whatever you have to budget for your home purchase and whatever plans you have for your outdoor spaces, First Residential Mortgage can connect you with an affordable and flexible home loan. To schedule your consultation, please give us a call at (540) 838-5868. We can help you purchase your dream home in Blacksburg or anywhere in VA.
