We have to be honest with ourselves – we have a dream home. Perhaps it is a big house, filled with children who are constantly smiling and laughing. You have a big backyard, where you can invite your friends over for a BBQ afternoon. You have a nice front lawn that doesn’t need that much care, but still looks great.
Having such a vision is awesome, there is no doubt about it. However, it is somewhat unrealistic. Maybe you can get to it in due time, but right now you have to pick your next place to call home and you have to be reasonable.
That being said, you don’t have to drop all your requirements. You just need to be able to adjust them a little bit. And still most people go way too far with that. They see a place that passes as just OK and they call their favorite Chicago movers to book the move. But is that the right thing to do? No. Because you cannot pull the trigger on the first home that somewhat meets your requirements. But this is just the first mistake. Here is what else you have to avoid.
Not Checking The Size Of All Rooms
Do not think that your eyes are able to tell how big a room is just by looking at it. Maybe you want a bigger apartment. You want to upgrade your 1-bedroom suite to something better. Well, believe it or not, a studio apartment can actually turn out bigger than a 1-bedroom one. And the latter can turn out bigger than a 2-bedroom. How? Room sizes!
Make sure to check out how each room is laid out and whether the space is sufficient for your needs. Bring a tape measure if necessary – it will come in handy. Maybe you have a big TV, or a nice sofa. What if there isn’t enough space to fit them?
Settling For Mediocrity
When people start looking for a new home they may get overwhelmed by choices. Everything looks better than your current place. At least in the beginning. But that is only because it is new and unfamiliar to you. You see moving there as some sort of an adventure. So you may end up settling for something that is objectively worse than your current place.
You can easily avoid that if you have a checklist for each place you visit. If it meets your criteria that’s nice. But it should also cover all the things that your current home has.
Not Researching The Neighborhood
While not so many people make this mistake, it is still worth noting. You have to know what the neighborhood reputation is. Is it good? Is it alright? Is there a lot of negative press about it? If yes, maybe you need to reconsider moving to the neighborhood. Maybe you need some special utilities and services to be close to you? That is also worth checking up.