6 Questions to Answer BEFORE Moving Somewhere New

I'm all about efficiency so no long blog post introduction for us- straight to the point:

1) What is your lifestyle?

This is the broadest question with lots of room for customization. Are you active and social or lazy and isolated? Young and hip? Or old and still using a home phone? Your realtor is a glorified area tour guide and will help you find the area of your dreams (within the legal guidelines provided by the fair housing act of course).

EXAMPLE: My first duty station all I cared about was finding a place for me and my dog. Second location I wanted to live the Seattle hipster lifestyle out, be near a coffee shop and my friends with easy Uber (taxi back then) access. Now I just want to live near a grocery store and a place where my two-year-old won’t die if he runs into the street unsupervised for a minute.

2) What is your budget range?

For somebody who has never lived a fiscally responsible lifestyle, you typically want to allocate no more than 25% of your monthly income to a rental property. If you are purchasing, your debt to income ratio and type of loan will determine your budget; its always best to talk with a mortgage broker to find this out first hand if you want to buy.

Always keep in mind utilities costs(water, power, wifi, trash, gas) when finding a place to live.

3) What is your ( and your working roommate's) commute restrictions?

If you tell a realtor you want to stay within a 20 mile radius of your work, somehow traffic, crazy drivers, and red lights will cause that 20 mile radius to become a 45 min, 1 way daily commute (just ask my husband). The best way to determine your housing boundaries is to come up with an ideal commute time for each commuting resident and let the realtor do the math.

EXAMPLE: My husband prefers a commute no more than 30 minutes. I need a commute that has a pre school/ daycare between myself and work with a total commute time of less than 40 minutes. All at rush hour times.

4) What are you looking for in a house/apartment?

This is where you can specify closet/kitchen/bedroom/bathroom preferences. For me, I wanted an open floor plan- which basically meant I could watch TV while cooking. I also wanted the bedrooms all on one level with some space between the master and the kids.

5) What are your limiting factors?

This is the scientific way of asking what other considerations must be taken into account when finding you a place to live. Do you like a specific school zone? Do you have pets? If so renting a place will have a few more obstacles for you. Do you have any family with special needs that need to be near public facilities? Do you have a criminal record? Do you have terrible credit?

EXAMPLE: I have two dogs that together weigh 320 pounds. Even though I know they are great apartment dogs (they're lazy, they get to go everywhere with us, and they frequent pet salons on a monthly basis) land lords and property managers do not take my word for it. Unless you have certificates proving your dog is a service animal, you will run into some restrictions when trying to rent with animals... even a 5 pound cat.

6) Is there anything else you want me to keep in mind?

Its always a good idea to have an open ended question at the end for the special case people… for some reason no list, no matter how well thought out, will never be all encompassing.

AND THATS it... Happy House Hunting!

#ArmyPCS #MillennialMove #Realtor #checklist