Should You Compromise On A New Home?

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When house hunting, buyers often have a wish list of what they want or need in a new home. If you’ve found the ideal home, there may be one or two things about the house that aren’t quite perfect. Perhaps the yard isn’t big enough to host a full-sized outdoor dining area or for kids to spread out and play, or maybe it’s a little too far your place of employment. Whatever the situation, there’s a chance that you’ll also need to compromise with your future home, whether it means having a small yard or a longer commute to work. The questions always pop up: Should you compromise or keep looking for the perfect home?

Sadly, the perfect home doesn’t exist

One of the most important things to keep in mind no matter how many real estate agents you talk to or how many open houses you attend, you’re never going to find the perfect house. You might think you have, but there’s always going to be something that can be tweaked that ultimately forces you to rethink, turn down an otherwise stunning house offer, or make a compromise when purchasing.

There’s one simple reason why you need to stop searching for the perfect house; your circumstances will always change. When we first moved into our home, both of our girls were under 4 years old. A finished basement wasn't high on our list. But now that our daughters are older and want a private area to hang with their friends, we are re-thinking the whole finished basement decision.

Perhaps you want a large yard initially because you want to grow your own produce or start gardening as a hobby. Sadly, once work takes over or your children demand more attention, are you really going to find the time to tend to your garden? Most likely not. You might enjoy the rustic cottage look for now, but who’s to say that in a few years time you won’t be longing for minimalist decor because of its clean, sleek and modern look?

What you view as a flaw today may eventually become a desired trait in a few years. Stop thinking about the perfect home and accept that every home has its flaws. Stop looking for a home that ticks every box on your wish list because those boxes are eventually going to change. Your circumstances and your likes and dislikes will always be different throughout the years, so use home renovations to update your home instead of buying an entirely new home just for the sake of something small like decor.

But there’s a limit to what you should compromise on

That being said, you always need to balance what you compromise on as well. For instance, if you’re picking a home for the sake of starting a family, then you need to set a standard of how many bedrooms you’ll need. If you plan to have several children, then you’re going to need a master bedroom and at least two more bedrooms for your kids. If you reduce this any lower, then your kids are going to be sharing a single bedroom and you’ll end up having to move home in the future to make more space.

Always set a minimum of what you require but never set this too high. Don’t tell yourself you’ll need 2 guest bedrooms and at least 4 other bedrooms because you plan to have guests over. Instead, set the minimum depending on how many children you plan to have and then work from there. In short, plan out what you need, but don’t over-plan or expect too much from your home purchase.