Things I should remember when buying my next house

I bought a condo last year...finally! Yes, it took me more than a year from starting to look for an agent to finally signing the papers, but I did it! Actually, We did it. I guess, I was waiting for lady luck to get things going :)

Since this was my 1st house and this was my biggest investment, yet, I wanted to make sure I got it right! Nevertheless, there were things I did miss.. :). So I am jotting points down here and will refer back to this when I am ready to buy my next house! :)

1. Location! Decide this before looking at listings or price ranges.

2. Price Range. This will depend ofcourse on how much mortgage one can afford and how much down payment one can afford.

3. Condo Fee - very high condo fee or HOA fee is not a desirable thing. I think anything more than $500/month is definitely high.

4. Windows - its good to have big windows, even better if they are in east-west direction so sunlight comes in during the day.

5. Windows - its good to not have a tree right outside the windows for 2 reasons: loss of sunlight, and possibility of insects coming in from tree.

6. Windows - check to see the insulations. Leaks in windows/front doors can cause increased electricity bills!

7. Gas vs Electric stove. While functionality wise, I dont have any particular preference, but if there is a power cut (for eg. due to heavy snow), in that case, atleast the gas stove could be working and used for cooking/providing heat to the house. (This actually did come in handy when 3 yrs back I lost heating in my house due to a/c issues. My smart roommate, a LTC, was able to devise a way to heat the upper floors of the town house as well, using the stove and oven).

More to come... :)

-V