The most important things to consider when buying a home on Sanibel Island is the home, the location, and your budget. You need to know what you’re really looking for in a home, what you really need, and how much house you can afford.
You’ll save lots of time in your home search if you start out by creating a list of wants and needs. Think about your dream home. What features and amenities does it have? Write everything down and then separate these items by wants or needs. You’ll find that different wants and needs will affect the sales price of the home, and you may not be able to get everything you want.
Your needs are the essentials. These are the things the property must absolutely have, or it’s a deal breaker. You wouldn’t even consider looking at a home that doesn’t have these things. These ‘must haves’ are very hard or impossible to change, like the number of bathrooms, property type (condo, townhome, house), enough space for your lifestyle, distance from the beach, or yard size.
Your wants are things you’d like to have and could change over time. You would look at properties without these features as long as it has everything you need. If a home has any of these things, it would be a wonderful option to consider. Things like skylights, new windows, and hardwood floors could go on your wants list.
Getting your wants versus needs checklist done before you begin your house hunt will save you tons of time and frustration. No home is perfect, but this will help you make sure you get the right home for you.
Contact Kingfisher Real Estate for all of your Southwest Florida home buying needs on the Sanibel & Captiva Islands!