Key Insights
- Budget is the Foundation: Determining your budget is the crucial first step when choosing the location for your new home. It ensures you don’t waste time searching for properties that are out of your financial reach and sets the tone for your entire home-building or buying journey.
- Convenience Matters: Consider your daily commute, proximity to essential services, and modern conveniences. Evaluating factors like access to public transport, schools, healthcare, shopping centers, and recreational facilities helps in creating a lifestyle that suits your needs now and in the future.
- Lifestyle and Gut Feeling: Don’t forget to factor in your personal preferences and lifestyle. Consider the activities you enjoy and how far you’re willing to travel to continue them from your new location. Trust your instincts, as your gut feeling about a place can be a valuable guide in making your final decision.
So you’re ready to get into your own home.
Maybe you’ve just started thinking about building/buying or maybe you’ve already fallen in love with a design, either way, the next thing on your mind will probably be – location, location, location.
Deciding where to build or buy your new home is one of life’s biggest and most exciting decisions.
Do you love where you currently live? Do you need to be closer to work? Or do you just really want to live close to the city? There are many factors to consider when choosing where to live, some of those key aspects are:
Budget
It’s important to know how much you can spend on a block of land whilst still having enough money left in the kitty to build your perfect home design.
For that reason, we recommend analysing your budget closely and/or engaging the services of a home loan finance specialist to help you. That way you don’t waste your time searching for a home or block of land in a location that is out of your reach.
While it may seem daunting to get someone to go through your finances, a good finance specialist is here to help and will offer unbiased information so you have the tools and knowledge to make the best decisions for you.
Once you know what you can afford the journey to the location of your new home will be a happier, less stressful experience!
Convenience
Definitely a key consideration here, think about your commute to work and how long it will be? Is this journey feasible for the years to come? Do you have family and friends in the area, if not; is it a commute you would be happy to do often?
Other factors to consider is the proximity to the freeway, public transport, medical and childcare facilities, as well as shopping centres, cafes, restaurants and other modern conveniences, which in close proximity, combine to make for a great lifestyle.
Another important factor to consider is schools for children or future children. What school catchment area will you be in? Are schools located close by? Does the school have a good reputation?
If you take the time to consider these factors you’re sure to choose a location that perfectly suits your needs now and in the future.
Lifestyle
Think about the things you enjoy doing in life. Is it regular trips to the beach, long walks around the river or playing footy each week? How far are you willing to travel from your new home to continue these pursuits?
Also, if your block is on the smaller side and you have a dog or children, are parks within walking distance to exercise your pooch and let the kids play?
Research
Buying or building a new home is a big investment so it pays to spend time doing your research. If you are building or buying for investment purposes, investigate the sales history of the locations you are looking at and how it has performed over recent years to see if buying in the area will offer long term financial gains.
Neighbourhood
Look for an area that fits the lifestyle of your family. If you are buying a block of land to build, is it located within a reputable estate?
Or if you are purchasing in an established area, does it have a safe reputation? Is the street quiet and away from thoroughfare traffic?
If you’re buying into an estate, have a look at the long term plans for any future schools, parks, shopping precincts or other attractions.
It also pays to have a chat to local residents and real estate agents to give you a clear understanding of the area you are thinking about living in.
Having said all that, it is true that you often have a ‘gut’ feeling about a location. Don’t ignore it – use that feeling to help you narrow down your location choices and then cross reference them with the factors above, this will help to ensure you love your new home and your new location.
