House Buying Checklist for Assessing your Needs

We all have a dream house - a penthouse flat, an old rectory, or perhaps a farmhouse set in its own land. While it is nice to dream, unless you have just won the lottery this is not the property that you will actually buy.

The best way to decide on what compromises you are and are not prepared to make is to set your requirements down on paper. Below is how the list might look for a family with two young children seeking to buy a three- or four-bedroomed suburban house. Try doing the exercise yourself using the same headings.

Bedrooms

• Need: Minimum three. The children (boy 6, girl 4) are sharing a bedroom now and cannot do so for much longer.
• Want: Four - a guest room would be nice, but guests do not stay that often. A sofa bed in one of the living rooms would probably suffice.

Living Rooms

• Need: Two - the only living room in our current property is always strewn with toys and it is driving us mad.
• Want: Three - in addition to a playroom, a separate dining room that could also be used as a study would be wonderful, but it would not be used often.

Kitchen

• Need: Must be large enough to eat in unless there is a separate dining room.
• Want: The bigger the better.

Bathrooms

• Need: One.
• Want: With two young children a ground floor toilet would be useful and a second bathroom even better.

Garage

• Need: Not essential.
• Want: Would be nice but it would mostly be used for storage so a garden shed would do.

Garden

• Need: 60' minimum - the same as we have now.
• Want: The bigger the better.

Type of Property

• Need: 1930s semi: a good balance between spacious rooms and reasonable maintenance costs.
• Want: Would love a detached property but it's probably out of the price range.

Condition

• Need: Reasonable order throughout. We are not DIY enthusiasts and using builders is too expensive. Would redecorate but not much more.
• Want: In spotless condition throughout.

Location

• Need : Must be in the catchment area for All Saints Primary School and the James Brown Secondary School .
• Want: Would really like to live on the Avenue Gardens estate if we can afford it.

Situation

• Need: With a dog, a cat and two young children we would not be prepared to live on a main road.
• Want: A cul-de-sac would be ideal.

Transport Links

• Need: We would like to be close to the station.
• Want: We only use the station two or three days each month so proximity is not essential.