7 Essential Tips for Choosing the Right Home for Your Family

Shopping for a home for your family can be a challenging venture. It’s going to be one of the biggest decisions of your life and quite possibly the most expensive. But if you approach it the right way, it can be both productive and fun, especially if you involve the whole family in looking at Falls Church homes for sale and evaluating all the factors that are important to everyone’s needs.

Falls Church is one of the most affluent cities in the country. It’s located just outside of Washington, D.C., making it an ideal location for diplomats and other highly paid government employees, as well as business professionals and professors and administrators at many of the area’s top colleges and universities. It is clean, and the great schools and community activities make it a perfect place for raising a family.

There are many steps to choosing the right home for your family, some of which you might have already started. If you follow these tips, the process will become much smoother as you begin to research home sizes, locations, and prices.

While you can take some steps on your own, such as browsing online home listings, one of the first things you’ll want to do is hire a talented real estate agent who has several years of experience in helping clients find Falls Church, VA real estate that is perfect for them. Andreea Leu is one of the best agents because of her extensive market knowledge. She is a native of the Washington, D.C., area and has lived in Virginia for more than a decade. She’ll use her vast experience to help you narrow down your search to the homes that will be the best fit for your family, and then negotiate the lowest price and handle all the paperwork.

This is also a critical early step that will ensure that you get through the process smoothly. The median price of homes in Falls Church is right around $1 million, and the market favors sellers. If you’re a first-time buyer looking for a home for your family, you must understand all the financial ramifications of the process. If you’ve purchased a home before, it doesn’t hurt to have a refresher.

Based on your monthly income and personal savings, you’ll need to know how much you’ll be able to comfortably spend on a house, including the down payment and monthly mortgage payments. There are other costs associated with such a big purchase, including a homeowner’s insurance policy, having cash on hand to pay property taxes, and recurring payments such as for utilities and monthly dues if you live in a homeowner’s association. You might want to earmark some money for new furniture to make sure you’ll fully enjoy your new luxury home, and you’ll want to have cash on hand to properly maintain your home and deal with any emergencies that pop up.

Yes, location is indeed among the most important things to consider when looking for a luxury home, especially when you have a family. It’s one thing to consider your daily commute when looking for a house unless you can work from home, but you’ll also need to consider being close to schools for your children. Falls Church has a well-regarded public school system, and there are many excellent private schools in the area. Other factors to consider are proximity to parks, ballfields, and other recreational opportunities, plus churches, shopping, and dining. Your smart real estate agent knows the community well and will be able to help you narrow down your options.

The size of your family will help dictate how you choose the right home. If you have pre-teens or teenagers, you’ll probably want a bedroom for each of them unless they’re used to sharing a room. If you have younger children or are planning to start a family, you’ll want space to grow into. That could include a room for a nursery and an extra bedroom that will come in handy when in-laws and other family members come to visit. And you’ll want a sizable primary bedroom suite, perhaps with walk-in closets and a spa-like bathroom. This is the time to consider these amenities rather than having to remodel after you’ve moved in. When you’re raising a family, you might not have the time or additional funds to do any renovating.

Other amenities to look for in Falls Church homes for sale are a dedicated home office, rec or family room, home theater, and home gym. Having an active family will justify purchasing a home with these amenities. Also, consider homes with big backyards with patios and decks that will provide hours of family fun every summer. A swimming pool or tennis court will also keep you and the kids busy. By perusing online listings, you can narrow your search and schedule viewings of the best homes that will fit your needs.

You can easily compare homes by searching online listings and using filters. Having a list of preferences will make the search easier. Plus, your agent will no doubt know of properties that could fit the bill. When you’ve narrowed down the choices, it’s time to schedule private showings and attend open houses. Take the kids along because their opinions will matter, too.

Visit a handful of mortgage lenders and shop for favorable interest rates and terms that could save you thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. Get a letter of pre-approval to show buyers to let them know your financing is solid and that they should seriously consider your offer.

These are the essential tips that will help you choose the right home for your family. You’ll learn even more about Falls Church homes for sale when you work with Andreea Leu to ensure a smooth, successful transaction.