Found Your Perfect Home? Consider Your Options First

Shopping for a new home can be a lot of fun. Not only is it exciting to be moving into what will hopefully be your dream family home, looking at different properties is half the fun. Whether you’re looking to buy your very first home, or move into your ‘forever home’, you can often feel as if you know exactly what your perfect home will look like. But do you?

It’s easy to get an idea of what your dream house looks like, but sometimes, this can stem from your background, or the styles of houses available where you grew up. In order to truly understand what your perfect home really looks like, you need to be able to consider your options first. Even if you’re looking to sell your home quickly, so you feel a lot of pressure to find a new house, take some time to look at all kinds of properties before you decide.

Colonial

Dating back to the early 1600s, the houses are some of the most common across the country. Although many different styles of colonial can be found, things like shutters and dormers can often identify a classic colonial design of house. If you’re tempted to buy colonial, here’s what to consider.

The Style

As one of the most popular styles of properties across the States, you’ve probably seen a lot of colonial houses in your lifestyle - you may even be tempted to buy one. They are easily distinguishable from other kinds of house types because of their distinct look. They’re often two or three stories and have a beautiful wooden (or sometimes brick) facade, with a fireplace. Colonial houses are formal looking and often have pretty shutters on the windows.

The Layout

If you’re looking for a home that has great proportions and is often quite symmetrical inside, then a colonial style house will appeal to you. Layout wise, expect to find a very classic interior with the living space and kitchen on the first or ground floor and the bedrooms above. Design wise, each colonial home will be unique as it’s owners, so you’re welcome to decorate as you please.

The Potential

Like many other styles of property, colonial houses can offer you the potential to extend and make it your own. You should find plenty of room to add on to the house at the back or the side. The only difficulty you may experience could be finding the right match for the facade. However, with the right contractor and a bit of research, you should be able to find the materials you need.

Cape Cod

Resembling a British country cottage, cape cod style houses are often wooden fronted and have steep roofs with large chimneys. Often quite small, you’ll find dormer windows for extra space and light. To see if this is the ideal kind of home for you, make sure to think over the below.

The Look

Cape Cod homes date back to the 1600s, but they became particularly popular styles to build in the 1930s. They’re often one story, or one and a half and are easily distinguishable with their high sweeping roofs and large chimneys. The windows are commonly multi-pane, and you’ll probably find dormers too to allow for added space in the home. They’re very sweet looking from the outside and can have that perfect cottage appearance about them.

The Space

Spacewise, cape cod homes are quite small inside. Being single story, everything is often found on one level, including living and sleeping spaces. Historically, there would be no upstairs to the houses, or they’d at least be unfinished and uninhabitable. However, since the original build, you may find that previous owners have made the upper part of the house into a living area. If not, you have the potential to do this yourself.

The Potential

Because many cape cod houses were built with space in the roof, but not living space, you do have the option to create a usable space up in the roof. Or, if a previous owner has already made a start, you can change the look and layout to something more suitable. Then, you’ve also got the option to extend to the side or back if the land permits it.

Ranch

Ranch style homes can be one of two things. First of all, you could actually look to live on a working ranch or ex-working ranch. Secondly, there are a wealth of ranch style homes, popular in suburban areas, that fit the description but are entirely residential. To help you decide, here’s what to consider.

The Design

As you’d expect, ranch style homes are modeled on traditional working ranches. The design first came about in the ‘30s, but it was the ‘50s and ‘60s that made these homes so popular. Whether you opt for an actual working ranch or a lookalike, you’ll find that these properties have ample living space and an attached garage. However, they can come in both single and two-story layouts.

The Floor Plan

The interior is often quite recognizable, and many ranch style homes can have the same look. However, when it comes to the inside, they offer a lot of personalization. They can often be quite a maze inside, which allows you to choose where you’d like your living spaces to be (and what to do with the rest). They can also be quite open-plan, giving you lots of room for potential.

The Potential

And that potential can mean that you get to create the ultimate home of your dreams. When you find a ranch for sale, make sure to look with an open eye. You should be able to spot where additions could make this style of house more profitable, or give you extra space to make it your own. Sometimes, old working ranches can need a lot of work, meaning you’ve got more room for profit.

Apartment

If you live in a city or are looking at moving to a city, then sometimes, it’s an apartment that can steal your heart the most. Often found in incredible buildings, sporting sensational views and coming with excellent facilities, life in an apartment can be top notch. To see if it’s for you, here’s what you need to know.

The Building

Apartments will normally come as a part of a large building, or sometimes just a few. So, when you’re looking at buying an apartment, you’re going to want to check out the building as well as the potential property you’ll love in. Things like the look, security and facilities may be important to you, so bear this in mind when you’re looking. Then, you’re also going to want to consider the style of apartment that’s available too.

The Layout

When it comes to the layout of an apartment, this can be as individual and varied as the building itself. Although many apartments in one block will be very similar, you can often find all kinds of layouts are available. Most apartments will be on one level, but you can also find split level apartments and even ones that come with outside space or large balconies or terraces.

The Worth

Although with most houses, there is often room to extend to the side or back and add extra room, this isn’t always the case with apartments (unless you were to buy multiple and make them into one, of course). However, you can still make money with apartments. If you’re buying in an up and coming neighborhood, or you’re buying a rundown apartment, you have the benefit of adding money to the apartment or the neighborhood increasing in value.

Townhouse

More common in urban areas, houses found in a row are often referred to as townhouses. They usually have three, sometimes two, stories and give you a lot of space - mainly because they were a way of getting a lot of homes built in smaller areas. Think a townhouse is the one? Then read on.

The Area

If you’re looking at buying a townhouse, you might want to consider the area that you’ll be moving into first. As this style of house is often connected to lots of other houses, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re happy with the neighborhood and those that live in it. You’re also going to want to make sure that you’re happy with the outside space that you have.

The Interior

Although you may be lacking for space outside of your townhouse, the interior is as versatile inside as any other house. Town homes often have two or three stories, sometimes more, so you often have plenty of room to play around with. Living spaces tend to spread on the ground and first floors, with sleeping spaces above. Decor wise, you’ll find that previous owners will have added their own taste, which you are always free to change.

The Potential

Because you can’t extend to the side, you may have to consider options for extended behind you, or even up into the roof or down into the basement if you require more space. Alternatively, if you don’t want to add any more room to a townhouse, or you can’t, you can focus on sprucing up run down decor and modernizing the home to add some profit to your purchase.