No matter what your reason is for buying a new home, Melbourne’s north offers a great range of housing estates or communities to choose from. Whether you’re looking in Wollert, Mernda, Donnybrook, or elsewhere in the Whittlesea area, there’s a lot of information available and every estate offers something different so finding the right one for you can be a complex decision.
These 5 tips will help you to narrow down your search and make looking for your next home, whether it is a buying a house and land package or just a new block, less intimidating.
1. Understand your borrowing power and obtain pre-approval once you start looking seriously
Knowing what exactly you can afford will help you to identify where you can look when researching land for sale. If you have specific location requirements that are outside your budget, you might have to consider an alternative house option like a townhome.
2. Be realistic with your budget to avoid stress about future repayments
It might be tempting to go a little over what you can truly afford to get some extra inclusions or a slightly larger land lot. However, tempering your requirements to meet your budget will help you enjoy your home without extra worry about repayments.
3. Think about extra inclusions you’ll need if buying a house and land package, such as landscaping and any upgrades
Lots of builders now include a range of inclusions and a further list of add-ons or ‘upgrades’. Allowing for these from the outset within your house and land price helps you understand your budget in more detail and removes some of the pressure of arranging extras at the tail end of your build.
4. Write a list of your needs and wants in order from “must-have” to “wish to have” to help narrow down your search
It can be easy when first looking into real estate to have your head in the clouds, but knowing what you won’t budge on makes it easier to narrow down the options. It’s rare to not compromise when choosing between potential dream homes, so ensure you don’t get caught out because you didn’t prioritise!
5. The old mantra of location, location, location rings true — investigate your future home’s proximity to transport, shops, and schools
Consider going for a few drives around the local area of where your new community will be located to better understand what your life will look like there.