Are you ready to settle down and find your dream home? Check out this guide to learn what to look for when you are house hunting.

The house hunting process tends to take somewhere between 6 weeks and 6 months.

Anyone who's moved houses before understands why it can take so long. We all want to live in our dream home.



But there are some things you can do to try to find your dream home quicker and one of them is making a checklist of things you want and don't want in your place.

If you don't know exactly what you should think of when making your checklist, this article will definitely help you. 

House Hunting: 10 Things to Look For
The main goal you should have when you visit a place is to understand if you've been fooled by home staging. 

Doing so includes looking at every single detail, no matter if you're looking for a small studio to rent or luxury homes for sale.

After all, moving to a new home is a big change and you want to make sure everything's according to your standards.

Here are the 10 things you should keep in mind when house hunting:

1. Location
A lot of issues that you may find in a house are fixable. The location is not one of those, which is why it's so important that you analyze the neighborhood of the place first thing.

Questions for the Checklist:
● Do you have everything that you need around the place?
● Is your house easy to access?
● Is there public transportation at a walking distance?
● How long will it take you to get to work?
● Do you see yourself living around your potential neighbors?

2. Size of the Home
Depending on how many people are moving in with you and what your plans are for the house, you'll need a different-sized home. 

And more, you also need to think about the size of each room.

Questions for the Checklist:
● Are there enough bedrooms and bathrooms for everyone to live comfortably?
● In case you want an office, is there an extra room for that purpose?
● Is each room big enough for the furniture and appliances you need?
● Does the entire house fit your lifestyle and hobbies?
● In case you have a dog, is the house big enough for him/her to live comfortably?

3. Bathroom(s)
You'll be using the bathroom every day from the get-go. So it's a good idea to check if it's in good condition and that not much needs to be fixed.

One tip is to ask your agent if it's okay for you to inspect the toilet. It can be considered impolite to do it without asking.

Questions for the Checklist:
● Is the water pressure alright?
● Are the drains fully functional?
● Does the boiler work properly?

4. Roof & Foundation Quality
You want the floor you walk on and the roof above your head to be in good condition. Fixing them can be expensive and means you won't be able to move it as quickly as you wish.

Questions for the Checklist:
● Are there cracks above the window frames?
● Is the floor even?
● How old is the roof?
● What's the material of the roof?

5. Number of Power Points
Lamps, computers, phone chargers, the microwave, the toaster, the hairdryer... a lot of basic things we use on a daily basis need power points in order to work. 

And if you work at home with tools that need to be plugged in as well, this becomes even more important.

Questions for the Checklist:
● Are there enough power points?
● Are they in good condition?

6. Attic
Not every place has an attic, but if your does you should definitely take a good look at it. Go in and see if everything's in a good state.

In case there are still boxes from previous owners, ask for them to be removed so that you can come back and properly check the room.

Questions for the Checklist:
● Is there any water damage on the walls or ceiling?
● Is there any mold?
● Is it big enough for your needs?

7. Quality of Ventilation
We spend a lot of time in our homes, so the quality of the air we breathe there is very important. Overlooking this detail might result in annoying allergies and the appearance of mold.

Questions for the Checklist:
● Are there any bubbles on the walls?
● Are the walls or ceiling moist?
● Is there mold already?

8. Lightning
Perhaps you want to be eco-friendly and have the lights turned off as often as possible, or you need light for your indoor plants to survive. Or maybe you're just a fan of natural light.
Either way, the windows, and lighting are also important to keep in mind.

Questions for the Checklist:
● Are there enough windows for your liking?
● Which way does the house face?

9. Kitchen
Fixing the kitchen can be very expensive, so it's a good idea to start off with a good one.
We're not talking about the cutlery, dishes, and other small appliances. Those you can find for affordable prices. We're talking about the big aspects of it.

Questions for the Checklist:
● Are the cabinets in a good state?
● Is there much that needs to be replaced?
● Is there space for the large equipment you need (dishwasher, oven, etc.)?

10. Storage Space
Finally, you need to assess if there's enough space overall for the things you're bringing with you on the day you move. 

While you should really think about what you need and don't need so that you don't end up cluttering your place, you'll probably still have a few boxes to move. And you obviously need somewhere to put your things!

● Is the closed big enough for the number of clothing items you own?
● Is there somewhere to keep miscellaneous items, like the vacuum cleaner or the drying rack?
● Is there enough storage for the kitchen appliances?

Don't Lose Hope!
Looking for a place that you can call home can be a lengthy process and sometimes it might feel like you'll never find the perfect house.

When you start losing hope, do two things. Firstly, remember that once you sign the contract and get the keys, the entire house hunting process will have been completely worth it. 

Secondly, reassess your priorities. Are you asking for too much? Having some flexibility can make everything a lot easier.

We have more articles on house hunting on our blog, so if you need a little bit more help, we invite you to keep browsing our articles!