Before ever starting to seriously look at houses with the purpose of finding one to purchase, I highly advise doing casual browsing and knowing what you want. Your budget will always narrow your choices for you, but it will help you to know what you can and cannot live without. Or if you are a DIYer: what you will and will not renovate for yourself. Personally, I know that I can and will do most household repairs and renovations, but I refuse to do electrical work and I don't really like plumbing. With electrical and plumbing there's a larger margin of error. However, I will be living close enough to my father and brothers who are close enough to help and can do those repairs. My goal, though, is to find a house as close to move-in ready as possible within my budget.
Here's my list of things you need to know where you stand before looking to buy a house:
1) Yards - Just how much do you like yard work and if you hate it can you afford to pay someone to do it. Is a pool or is the space for a pool a must-have? What about a workshop or storage space?
2) How many rooms do you want and how many do you really need? More rooms mean more money, and that isn't just for the home's price. Costs in heating and cooling also increase.
3) How many bathrooms do you want or need? For a couple that maybe has 1 kid, then one bedroom is fine. But for any household larger than 3, I would suggest at least 2. The more bathrooms the less fighting over people needing to use one that is occupied. However, bathrooms add cost.
4) The Kitchen - What do you need for your kitchen: How much space? Upgraded appliances? Eat-in? A pantry? Know exactly what you want or need in your kitchen and be prepared to settle for less and/or do renovations yourself. Kitchens add the greatest value to a house, so the nicer/fancier the kitchen, the more money the house.
5) The "Extras" - Are you looking for a house that has a master suite? Does the house -have- to have a den/family room? A laundry room? Finished basement? Useable attic?
My advice is to browse sites like Zillow, Trulia, or Realtor and look at all the houses in your area to make the list of exactly what you want in a house.
My desire is as follows:
A 4-5 bedroom house with master suite (master bedroom included in room count)
At least 2 bathrooms.
A sizeable eat-in kitchen, dining room unnecessary. I do a lot of cooking and baking and the kitchen is really the gathering point for people, so why bother having a dining room?
A den/family room
A small yard with room for a pool if I want one.
A laundry room
For the most part I could care less about a finished basement or useable attic. I'm not picky on carpet/hardwood or paint colors because those can be changed.
Just about move-in ready.
It sounds like a lot, it looks like a lot, but in my area I can still find houses that have almost everything I want well within my budget. Since I'm also planning on housemates it does make my budget a little larger than if it was just me moving into a house on my own.
