By Negovan Cindric


You've decided to buy a new home. But before you sign anything - in fact, before you even start looking - take a close look at your lifestyle, and get the answers down on paper. How you live can indeed help you determine where you live; such things as hobbies, the amount of socializing you do, how much time you spend at home, and even what sports you enjoy - all of these can have a bearing on the home you finally select.

People, however, tend to worry more about the structure of the house than to adapt it to their personal needs.

List the priorities for each member and for the family as a whole. It may not prove an easy task to achieve a fine balance between elements that are important to all and paying respect to everyone's wishes.

Making lists helps you stay focused on your family requirements. Furthermore, it singles out some other traits otherwise missed. Here is some advice as to how to make the profiles.

The way you spend your leisure time should also influence your decision. If you are into sports, try to find a recreation-oriented community. If you have a hobby, choose an area that will help you pursue it.

If you are still working, to spend the most time at home, choose a site convenient to your job, or close to a quick commute. And if your leisure time is limited, you might prefer to live in a place where virtually all of the outdoor maintenance is done for you. Condominium living is the best choice for a low-maintenance lifestyle that amplifies leisure time.

There are people who don't mind changing their habits and enjoy cultivating new interests and don't mind that their new home is different from their old one. That is what actually attracted them to it. But most people have certain habits and interests and even though they moved to a new home, they continue with those same interests.

Display showcases are a must if you are a proud owner of a collection of rare books, or just your children's toys, so don't forget to plan that extra space.

What about price? How much do you want to spend on your home in relation to other interests? A mature adult couple now living in a single-family home may wish to use their equity to move into a comparable condominium. On the other hand, a younger couple may want to spend more on a home in a recreation-oriented community so they can enjoy activities that would cost them much more separately.

As you answer these questions about your own lifestyle, you may discover other questions to ask yourself, to help you determine just how you want to live. Once you answer them all, the search will be that much simpler.




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