Can you live with what for a year? Well, that’s the thing. What will vary person to person.
We’re talking about one of the most important questions to ask yourself when you find a home you love … except something is bugging you.
Maybe you have your heart set on glossy, sleek white kitchen cabinets, but the otherwise-awesome home you find has dated, orangey wood with an ornate design. Can you live with those cabinets for a year?
Maybe you’re used to renting a home with overhead lighting, but you love a home from the 1940s that’s not wired for it. Can you live only using lamps for a year?
Or maybe you have the wardrobe to fill a walk-in closet, but there just isn’t space for one without renovations. Can you make do with a small closet for a year?
When you’re choosing a home, you’re being … well, choosy. As you should be. It’s a huge decision.
The point of asking yourself if you can live with something for a year is to remind yourself that design choices you don’t like or even bigger imperfections you notice aren’t necessarily deal breakers.
If you can live with it for a year, you can change it later.
The secret? You may forget all about it.
Find out the thing our COO, Ryan Dibble, thought would drive him crazy when he bought his house but hasn’t actually changed after years of living there, as he told ApartmentTherapy.
Once you get used to living in the home, you’ll know what’s really important to you. And then you can make smarter decisions about how to spend renovation dollars, or whether to spend them at all.
Those cabinets may become part of the landscape that you simply don’t notice. Or maybe you’ll decide that a fresh coat of paint is all they need, rather than more pricey replacement.
Tip: Make sure the things you can live with for a year are things you can change after a year if you decide a year of living with it was enough. Remember there are things you can’t change, or at least not easily. You simply can’t singlehandedly change a neighborhood. You can’t always add a second story to a home. You may or may not be able to put a pool in the backyard. Your agent can help you think through what’s a real deal breaker and what’s just bugging you.
Let’s talk!
