“Only those who are asleep make no mistakes” – INGVAR KAMPRAD, founder of IKEA.
A vital step, often overlooked by homebuyers is to spend some time thinking about your goals, where you are going in life and how your new home will fit into the bigger picture.
Specific life events such as changing family circumstances, lifestyle goals or career need to be carefully considered. So, take some time-out, find a quiet spot and ask yourself some questions:
WHAT DOES MY FUTURE LOOK LIKE?
Consider family circumstances, do you need to be near parents, will you settle down with a partner, is your family still growing or is it complete? Do you intend on travelling regularly either overseas or interstate? Are you looking for an overall upgrade or to downsize? Are you trying to simplify, relocate for work or just make a smart investment? Take note of 2 or 3 that are most important to you.
WHERE DO I WANT TO BE?
What are you looking for in a suburb or area? Do you require good schooling, a short trip to work, cafes and restaurants, public transportation, social areas, parks or to be around people like you? Again, jot down 2 or 3 priorities.
Now that you’ve got some direction, you can start building a collection of listings which match your goals. Websites such as realestate.com.au and Domain.com.au allow you to save listings so you can refer back and over time build on your collection.