Q: Would you and John consider posting a home buying guide or list of tips for first-time home buyers? We are hunting for our first place and we’re looking for something with potential, like your home, that might need some work and updating. I’ve read countless articles on what to look for, but I’d love to read your opinion since you found a great home and did a terrific job making it your own! — Erin
A: Great question. One of the toughest parts of buying a home is realizing there’s no single “perfect” house. The challenge is finding the perfect house for you—so the key is to figure out how you’ll actually use the space before you commit. Our top tip is to sit down together and spend time talking through realistic daily routines and priorities. Don’t pick rooms based on idealized entertaining fantasies; choose based on how you’ll live most days. For example, if you rarely host formal dinner parties, a giant formal dining room might be less valuable than an extra TV room you’ll use daily. We chose a home with two living areas (a living room and a den) so there would be space to spread out as our family grew.
Think through practical needs like kids’ or pets’ habits (do you need a mudroom?) and your own routines (would you actually use a built-in kitchen computer counter or would it sit unused?). Organize priorities into two lists: must-haves and nice-to-haves. Ours looked like this:
- Must-haves: desirable neighborhood, good schools, private backyard, at least three bedrooms, at least one-and-a-half bathrooms, garage.
- Nice-to-haves: wood floors, fireplace, basement or attic storage, front porch, sunroom, bay window.
This clear separation helped us decide that we preferred a fixer-upper we could tailor to our tastes rather than paying for someone else’s finishes. Choosing a house that needed cosmetic updates saved us nearly $25,000 under our budget, leaving funds for renovation. If you’re open to that route, ask your realtor to show homes with solid structure but dated finishes—places where paint, flooring, or a kitchen update can transform the space without major structural work.
Avoid houses with obvious major problems like significant flood or fire damage, as these can quickly become money pits. Always get a thorough inspection before finalizing a purchase; a good inspector will reveal issues that might not be obvious on a walk-through and can give you an opportunity to walk away if repairs are extensive. Conversely, if you know you don’t want the hassle of renovations, prioritize updated kitchens, new windows, and systems in good condition so you get a move-in-ready home that impresses immediately.
Ask yourself: how can this house work hardest for my lifestyle? That perspective helps you choose a home that suits your family rather than one that would only be admired by neighbors. For instance, if you do laundry multiple times a week, a roomy, functional laundry room could be more valuable than granite countertops. Our decision was driven by the lot: location, schools, private backyard with tall hedges and woods beyond gave us the privacy and outdoor space we wanted—more important than any single interior finish.
We weren’t initially won over by the home’s decor. It had outdated wallpaper, an unfortunate green toilet, and empty rooms, but we saw beyond the surface. The house had good bones: a sunroom with expansive windows and private views, two working fireplaces, attic and basement storage, hardwood floors in half the house, and a charming front porch. Those structural and layout benefits outweighed cosmetic problems, which paint and renovations could address.
Think about the layout and how rooms relate to each other. Although our house is modest at 1,350 square feet, it offers many usable spaces—a back patio, sunroom, den, living room, and front porch—which gives flexibility for relaxing and for future children to play. We appreciated having bedrooms grouped on one side for privacy and living spaces on the other. The flow made sense as we walked through, even if certain things (like the master bedroom’s placement) weren’t ideal.
It’s helpful to list cons and evaluate which are easy fixes and which require major investment. Small cosmetic problems you can usually fix in an afternoon or an inexpensive weekend project include:
- Brightly painted walls in bold colors
- Outdated light fixtures above dining tables or in bathrooms
- Objectionable wallpaper
- Ugly furniture or clutter that obscures the home’s potential
Major or costly issues that might disqualify a home unless you have renovation funds include:
- Bedrooms far apart or on different floors when you want them together
- A kitchen that is significantly smaller than you need
- Not enough room for your existing furniture
- Worn or damaged flooring throughout requiring replacement
- Insufficient bedrooms, bathrooms, or living spaces for your family’s needs
Balancing pros and cons will help you decide whether a house is great for someone else or a great fit for you.
One final tip after you move in: consider waiting on major structural changes. Live in the space for a few months to understand how you actually use it. You might discover small adjustments—widening doorways, reassigning a room’s purpose—that you wouldn’t have considered initially. We lived in our house for nearly a year before making major layout changes; that pause helped us be confident about what to alter. Paint and minor updates can come right away, but hold off on irreversible changes until you’ve settled in and confirmed the long-term needs of your household.
Happy house hunting!