Skip to content

3 tips that could see you in your dream home sooner

January 17, 2023 by viridity

Searching for a new home can be a waiting game. Finding the right place that ticks all of your boxes can take weeks, even months.

While you can’t control when your ideal property will hit the market, there are some important things you can plan around so you can get the keys to your new home sooner.

We‘ve collected some experts’ tips on how to avoid delays in your hunt for a new home.

Know your must-haves

Most buyers have a loose idea of what they’re looking for. But having a tighter list of must-have features can speed up your search.

For example, if you don’t want to live on a main road but you do want to live within walking distance of a train station, you can check these criteria online. That way you avoid wasting time going to an open for inspection if a property doesn’t meet your needs.

Behind the Listing Toorak
If an open-plan kitchen is a priority, it’s worth putting it towards the top of your list. Photo: Natalie Jeffcott

These must-haves should be separated from the nice-to-haves, which are things you would like but can live without, says finance broker Chris Foster-Ramsay.

“Some buyers will not negotiate on a property with less than three bedrooms, a shared driveway or half a block, or one that’s not close to their parents or their work,” he says.

“Added on to that would be a fairly loose idea of the area they want to live in. What we see is clients have a radius of an area they like or an area close to their family or work, and they build that radius out depending on the types of houses they like when they start looking.”

Contact your lender ASAP

Australia’s economy has tightened significantly in the past year. So far in 2022, interest rates have risen at a rate of 2.75 per cent per annum and there’s talk of more increases next year.

With this in mind, buyers should contact their lenders sooner rather than later,

“There are many challenges facing Australians in the current economic climate, and home buyers are among those who could more acutely feel those challenges, with cost-of-living and inflationary pressures stretching budgets to the limit,”

4_Blackwood_Avenue_Clovelly_1_l54xrm
Finding the right place that ticks all of your boxes can take weeks, even months. Photo: Supplied

“We expect challenging economic conditions to remain for some time, so it’s important home buyers get in touch with their lender as early as possible to best understand their financial position and what might be achievable.”

Harper says financial institutions can also help home buyers from the savings stage through to the purchase phase by providing personalised support, products, digital tools and property market analysis.

Understand your financial goals

Knowing what you want to do with your money is a great way to set yourself up for success. As with any budgeting exercise, your search for a new home should involve financial goals.

With these goals acting as a roadmap, you’re better placed to know what you can afford, when you can buy and how you may need to fine-tune your expectations.

It’s also key to knowing which loan is most suitable for you,

iStock-1150687416_wzwsgq
Setting out your financial goals will ensure you have a roadmap. Photo: iStock.

“The biggest piece of general advice I can give for home buyers in today’s market is to take the time to understand what their immediate, medium and longer-term goals are,”

“This is really important because knowing this will set the foundations [for] the best possible experience and outcome, as it can help inform decisions such as whether selling or renting is more appropriate, and supports an understanding of living expenses and how they might change in the future.

“Understanding goals also supports homebuyers in identifying the best solution, instead of simply going for the cheapest price and/or product, which ultimately might not be the most appropriate option.”

Post navigation

Previous Post:

5 steps to pick the perfect pet-friendly community

Next Post:

Glimmer of hope for first home buyers in 2023, experts say

Recent Posts

  • Embrace the ugly: Why your beautiful couch could be bad for you
  • How to prepare a property for sale…
  • Is your home a breeding ground for mould? 4 ways to get rid of it according to an expert
  • Pet-owner renters set to have ‘upper-paw’
  • Four items for the home you really should test-drive before you buy

Recent Comments

  • Sang Carrel on 5 Ways Indoor Plants improve your health at home

Archives

  • May 2025
  • March 2025
  • January 2025
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • November 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018

Categories

  • Uncategorised

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
© 2025 | WordPress Theme by Superbthemes