Basics of Property Management: Screening Potential Tenants

House Hunting Deal Breakers - What To Discuss With Your Spouse

4 June 2015

Jesse Obrien

If you and your spouse are in the market for a new home, it is important to be a united front. Understand before you begin your house hunt what your needs are, and what might be deal breakers. Here are three basic factors when it comes to home buying and hunting properties that can become tricky when there is more than one home buyer in the mix:

1. Location of Your New Home

Look at the locations where you work, where your daily activities occur and schools that you or your kids attend. Draw a circle around this with the acceptable amount of commute time factored in. If you aren't planning on changing other aspects of your life, then this is your search area.

There is no need to drive two hours away and lust over a ranch house if it doesn't feasibly meet your lifestyle needs. Once you find a home or area you are interested in, be sure to do the drive during peak commute time so that you know traffic considerations.

2. Size, Bedrooms and Space

Have a square footage in mind for your house hunting as well as a minimum amount of bedrooms that will work. If you and your spouse are fine with small space living, this might not be an issue. If there are plans for more pets, kids or frequent house guests, don't forget this when looking. There isn't any point in checking out the tiny condo in a trendy neighborhood if it just isn't going to be able to accommodate your needs.

3. Budget Constraints

You and your spouse need to sit down and have an honest review of your finances so that you know what you can afford, and what you are willing to spend. You might be pre-approved for a large mortgage, but that doesn't mean that you have to look at the high end of this price range.

Having a lower price point that you are comfortable with is okay too. The main point is to have this mapped out before house hunting, so that neither one of you fall in love with something outside of your price range that is not going to be workable with your budget.

If you and your spouse have not gone over your needs and limitations, house hunting will be a rocky process. It can be hard to narrow down your search if you haven't given it some thought or found out what is important to your spouse. Make sure to get on the same page with your spouse to streamline your house hunting process and save time, energy, and hopefully limit arguments from occurring.  

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