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Buyer Basics: What Matters Most To Men Vs. Women

If you’re buying a house – rather than having one built to your specifications – you’re going to have to compromise. You’re probably not going to find everything on your wish list in one house, and certainly not in a home that also just happens to be perfectly in your price range. Which is to say, the home buying process will force you to make decisions about what matters most to you and what you would like but can live without. How you make these decisions will be based, in part, on your particular needs and goals but, according to one recent survey, it may also be based on gender. That’s because, when asked which home features mattered most to them, men and women had slightly different opinions. For example, the number of bedrooms in a home is nearly 7 percent more important to women than men. So is being close to good schools, which was 6.6 percent more important to women. On the other hand, the inclusion of exterior maintenance was 5.1 percent more important to men than women. Whatever the case, spending some time thinking about what home features matter most to you before heading out house hunting will make you a better prepared, and more decisive, buyer. More here.

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Home Price Increases Mean Buyers Need To Prepare

It isn’t news that home prices have been headed upward for awhile now. And, according to the latest S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, they are continuing to climb at around the same pace as they have been in recent months. Which is to say, the price increases haven’t yet slowed. Of course, how quickly prices are increasing depends on where you’re looking to buy. Large metropolitan areas – and especially those in the West – are seeing the sharpest increases, while the price gains are more muted in the Midwest. But, no matter where you are, the best way to prepare for higher prices is to know what you want, what you can afford, and where your limits are. In competitive and higher priced markets, having a firm idea of what you can spend and where you’ll compromise will make it less likely that you’ll end up going over budget because of a bidding war or buying more house than you can comfortably afford. Making sure you’re prepared before heading out to look at homes also means securing financing in advance, so you’ll be ready to make an offer when you find a home you love. More here.