Hi lovelies,

If you are tempted to move onto pastures new and begin a new chapter in your life, you might be hunting for your dream home. You might need more space, you might crave more outdoor space, and you might want to live in a totally different location. However, funding this dream can be a challenge. Many people have lofty ambitions and desires for their property. But, their financial status may not equate to these wants. If this sounds like your situation, don’t assume that your dream home is out of reach and that you have to make do.

Ensure that you think outside the box and consider the wonderful world of the fixer upper. You can find that your dream home is in reach if you buy it as an incomplete shell. Many people choose to venture to the auction and check out the homes, houses and fixer uppers on offer. If you are eager to hunt for your dream home but don’t have the readies to buy a complete showhome example, check out this guide to craft your dream home in three simple steps.

1. Choose Where You Want To Buy
Before you can enter the house hunting sphere, you need to narrow down where you want your dream home to be. You may simply want to stay in your current location but upgrade your property. However, more often than not, people seek a change of lifestyle to go along with their new home. Consider the sorts of places that you would love to live and try to work out if this would fit in practically with your needs.

If you have a small brood who are already settled in school, would you be willing to move them for the sake of your dream pad? You may think that you can cope with the hour commute to drop them off at the school gates for the sake of a swanky pad, but what about their friends and socializing? At the same time, you need to consider how the location of your new home fits in with your job and family commitments. If you want to be close to extended family, your dream home three hours away on the coast might not be suitable. If your job requires you to complete a laborious commute every day, you don’t want to be traveling for more than an hour each way otherwise you will become tired and your new lifestyle will grate on you after a while.

Consider whether you want to go suburban, inner city or totally rural. The thought of living out in the sticks sounds exciting but it can be a huge disappointment for those individuals who crave culture, people, and community. You may want to test the waters first and rent in the location where you see yourself living. This might be a good option for those people who are indecisive and struggle to pin down their dream location.

2. Fixer Upper
If your finances are a little stretched and you are short to buy your dream home in your dream location, the property auction beckons. Hot foot it to your local auction and get a feel for the action. Observe how the auctioneer takes bids and monitor the sorts of prices that properties go for. Pick up an auction catalogue and try and work out the maximum bid that you would make should you be bidding on a pad. 

You may find that you spot a potential home online that is going to auction. You need to view it and read the legal pack. Is it in your ideal location? Could you carry out a scheme of works after the initial purchase price without going into the red? You can always change a property but you can never change the location so it pays to try and purchase th worst house on the best street. This means that you can pick up a real bargain. Ensure that the legal pack for the property doesn’t have strange covenants like being unable to change a kitchen and check that the home isn’t on a flood plain.

When you are ready, you can venture to the auction with a maximum bid in mind. This should be affordable to you, you should have your home loan in place, and you should have factored in your renovation costs. Don’t let your heart rule your head and go above your maximum bid. There will be other homes out there.

3. Renovations
When you have the keys in your hand for your new pad, you can consider the renovations that you want to carry out. Firstly, you need to make sure the property is structurally sound. This means checking the roof for slipped tiles, checking window seals, and ensuring all brickwork pointing is complete. 

When it comes to creating an energy efficient and watertight home, you will need to adapt your exterior. Consider swapping the old school sash and single glazed windows for more energy efficient double glazing. Renewal by Andersen window replacement will measure up your specific glazing needs and fit a fully customized set of windows for your home. This means that your pad will be less costly on heating bills and will prevent draughts and leaks entering your humble abode.

When your home has its utilities connected and you are ready to get a bit more creative, you can begin to choose your kitchen, bathroom and configuration of your home. Having a shell that you can put your own stamp on, you can create the living spaces that are fit for your lifestyle. If you want a large kitchen diner, you can knock down a wall to create more open plan living. You might choose to extend after obtaining planning permission. And you might want to change the walkthrough of your pad. 

When it comes to decor, you can think more with your heart. If this is your dream home and you aren’t planning on selling up, you can go for the deep damson feature wall and you can opt for the high gloss red kitchen. Go with what you love and don’t follow the interior design trends on the covers of magazines.

Follow this simple guide and you can create your dream home by thinking outside the box and harnessing your finances in the best possible way.