Thinking Critically About Your First Home Before You Buy Your Second

You haven't been in your house that long, but you're already starting to see that it's not your forever home.

So, how do you use this experience to help you find something better next time? Well, you could start by asking yourself a few questions.

What's right with your house?

Sure, you don't love where you are today. But something made you choose that path, right?

Before you go down the rabbit hole of what you hate, make a list of the things you like about your home.

Did you want a huge back yard, but find you really like not having to do yard work on the weekend? Or maybe you wanted a fireplace like crazy, but you realized that the winters where you live are waaay too warm to warrant that.

What's wrong with your house?

You hate the flow of your house, but what exactly does that mean?

Do you hate that you can't see into the living space from the kitchen? Does it drive you crazy the front door drops you straight into the dining room? 

Think about what you dislike and be specific about how you would change it. That will help you start to create a list of must-haves for your new digs. 

What's your ten-year plan?

Or your five-year plan, or your thirty-year plan.

The point is to ask yourself this: how long will you stay in the second home, and what life changes do you anticipate making during that time?

Let's say, for example, that you hate that your current house has the master bedroom upstairs.

Right now it makes sense that you'd want to look for a home with a downstairs master, but what if you plan on having kids while you're in your second home? Are you sure you want to be running up and down the stairs several times a night while they're babies?

Our point? Make sure you take a holistic view of everything that you hate about your old house and be sure to come up with a list of must-haves that will help you grow in your second home.