One of our readers asked us a great question, it was, “I’m so confused about house shopping, is there a way how to know I’ve found the right house?” It’s a great question but the answer isn’t so easy. Knowing you have found the right house is kind of like knowing when you have fallen in love. I could say ” You just know,” and that sounds goofy and isn’t much on an answer, but it is true to a certain extent. There are also a lot of other things that come into play when knowing you have found the right house, and they are the same for many people. Of course, we could just give you a home essentials checklist, but this is more of a feeling than just checking boxes.
Here are the 10 things that can let you know you’ve found the right house.
You See Yourself Driving Up To It Every Day
When you first see the house, you can envision yourself driving up to it every day. It’s almost like you are playing a mental type of make-believe. You see yourself coming home and pulling into the driveway and parking, getting out, and making your way in. There are a lot of houses that are out there. But the one that has you future pacing and seeing yourself coming home to is a big tell.
You Cannot Wait To Go Inside
Once you’ve looked at enough houses, you will know what we mean by this. Some houses will give you a “Bates Motel” feel; others will make you “meh” when you look at them. But the house you know is right is the one, is that one where you can’t wait to get inside and see what it reveals. It’s almost like a kid on Christmas morning feeling to go inside.
When You Get Inside You’ll Be Amazed
When you walk inside the house, your first thoughts will be, “Wow, this is actually nice!” Sure, you may have thought it before, but the bigger one will be that you want to see how the house unfolds for you. This feeling goes a long way. It’s a curiosity that keeps getting satisfied room upon room as you go along the first tour.
It Has All of Your “Must Haves”
One thing we talk about on our house hunting checklist is the must-haves and would but nice to have. When you find the right house, it will have all of your “must-haves.” Each room will have the qualities you want in it. You will feel like you aren’t sacrificing in the least when you walk through it.
You Immediately See Yourself Living in It
Walking through some houses will give you a variety of impressions, but very few will have you seeing yourself immediately living in it. From cooking in the kitchen to brushing your teeth in the morning, you will walk through the whole house and see yourself in it doing your daily activities. Not a lot of houses do this.
You Feel “At Home”
This is a weird feeling to describe, but here it goes. Once you have seen enough open houses (we recommend a minimum of 10), you will notice a certain feel in each house. Some will feel inviting, others you won’t be able to get out of soon enough. But the house that is just right for you is the one that you feel normal in. It gives you a feeling of “being home.”
A few great ways to tell are…
- You feel unusually comfortable in the master bedroom (even though it still belongs to someone else).
- You wonder how much you can stretch out in the main bathtub.
- You know exactly where that piece of art you bought in college will go in the living room.
You’ve Looked at Enough Other Homes to Know This One is Legit
When you have seen enough open houses, you will know that not all homes are created equal. It’s this experience of seeing more and more homes that gives you a type of sixth sense when you are looking for a house.
By our 15th house, we knew instinctively walking into it if it was the right one or not. When we found the right house, we looked at each other and knew. It was like a lot of other houses we had seen in many ways, but this one was slightly different. When you find the right house somehow, it just fits and makes sense to you in a way that no other houses have made sense before.
You Quickly Over Look The Few Negatives
It’s really important to realize that unless you are building a custom home as your first place, there are going to be things that you don’t like about the house. Even the love of your life has a few negative qualities, right? That said, you will overlook them and be willing to live with them. That’s when you know it’s the right house for you. Remember, the seller is always looking for the cheapest way to sell a house, so if you can overlook a few negatives, that says a lot.
The Switch Gets Flipped
Normally when you are looking at houses, you are curious. You wonder if there are any other houses out there that you might be missing. You doubt yourself when you walk through it, but with the house that is right for you, it’s completely different. You don’t want to lose it. You know it feels right, and you want to do everything you can to make it yours permanently.
The Price Will Be Right
This is usually a hard one to accept. But a house can have a lot of these features and feelings, but if you can’t afford it, it’s not the right house for you. We went through this with one house; we got all the way up to putting in an offer. Luckily logic got the better of us, and we pulled the offer because it was too tight on our budget. In the moment, we thought we were missing out. But in reality, we found a better house within two weeks.
If you truly believe, like I do, that there is the right house out there, you will find it. It may take more time than you think, but keep searching. It’s out there.
Bonus Item for How to Know You Found the Right House
This is the bonus; you can’t wait to go back and see it again. When you leave other open houses, you will either be curious about going back or never want to see it again. But with the house that is the right one for you, it’s different. You won’t want to leave, and you can’t wait to get back. It’s almost a feeling of butterflies in your stomach because you will know that you are so close to the finish line. The next thing to do is put in an offer on the house and take it to the next stage. Good luck!