Is Your Home a Forever Home?

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As I prepare to share more home content, I thought that this would be a fun and informative question to answer!

When I started looking for a home last year, I knew that whatever I ended up purchasing, it would not be a forever home. 

Before I met my fiance, I had a personal goal to purchase a home in the suburbs and on a specific timeline. In fact, I almost bought a home in the 'burbs one year ago but just wasn't ready to give up the city life just yet so I promised myself I would only hold off one more year.  

I finally felt ready to leave the city and craved more space in the latter half of 2018. Not only was I craving more space and the conveniences of suburban life (there is not a single grocery store in all of downtown, which is so annoying), but I was also looking for a good investment.

I grew up in an old home. Right now, I live in a historical landmark. I love the character that older homes have (and the quirks)! So I was really only looking at older homes. New construction close to the city (and in a good school district- for resale purposes) is hard to find. Somehow, though, I landed on the most perfect opportunity.

When I thought about it, a brand new home made more sense for me, too (at this time period in my life). I'm not handy at all, and I didn't want to pour a lot of money into an older home that would not end up being my forever home. So the brand-new home scenario just felt perfect. For the years that I live in the home, I will not have to do much in terms of maintenance. 

I realize it's probably a bit backward to buy a home by myself when I knew I would most likely be getting engaged in the next few months, but it was really something I wanted to do for myself. I'm all about being independent- even when in a relationship. I also knew the home would have plenty of space for both my fiance and me when that day came (we don't live together). 

This home will be a 'starter' home for me. I can only foresee being in the home 5-10 years. 

One of the things that I didn't realize before starting my search is that there is such a difference in what you are looking for when you don't plan on the home being your forever home- and especially if I were to potentially use it as a rental property. 

It was also eye-opening to learn that if I were to find a home that might seem like a 'good fit' but needs a lot of work/renovations, it sometimes doesn't make financial sense to put a lot of money into something because of the way the other homes in the neighborhood or school district are priced. I was looking at one home and everything I would have wanted to do to it would have priced my home (when I went to sell) 'too expensive' for the neighborhood.

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Just to give you an example of a decision I am making for this current home: there are 3 bedrooms in my home. One is the master and then there are two smaller bedrooms with a Jack and Jill style bathroom. Personally, there is no need for me to have 3 bedrooms but for resale, it's better to have 3 bedrooms (and this can totally change dependant upon the area and market you are in). Because I don't need 3 bedrooms, I'm going to turn one of the bedrooms into my office, which will be so nice!

I really wanted to have a custom closet built in the 'office' (like in the gorgeous photo you see above). However, it doesn't make sense to do that because I will not be able to bring something like that with me to a future home. Also, it would have dramatically decreased the size of the bedroom which is unappealing for potential buyers. Plus, when I go to sell the home, I will have to turn it back into a bedroom because most people do not desire a 'closet office' as use for a bedroom! All things that would have never crossed my mind so it's been great to have so many knowledgeable people helping me to make smart decisions.

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One of the things I'm going to let myself 'go crazy' on is the small powder room next to the kitchen. I'm planning to do wallpaper and a bunch of things I'd love to do elsewhere but figure I'll take it all out on the small powder room! Then I can either leave it as-is when I go to sell/rent or just tone it down a bit.

I will say it is so exciting but can also be a bit frustrating to not be able to do exactly what I would want because it is not my forever home, but it will be great for the next several years and I am so excited to move in!