There is a lot that goes into deciding which house to buy. Money factors in, location factors in and most of all you want to love the place you will eventually call home. Here are ten tips to help you find the perfect home!

1. Put your roots in the ground: When looking for a home you want to pick a home that you could see yourself living in for many years, at least 5-7 years ideally.

2. Leave room for growth: Because you’ll want to stay in one home for several years you want to find a place that can adapt as your life changes. For instance you might have a new baby or if your child moves back home after college. Leave options open for those family planning moments, and even if you don’t have it in the budget to get a home big enough to fit those future needs you can look for one that will allow you to build on in the future.

3. What can’t you live without: Write down the features you require in a home, such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms, garage, formal dining room, family room and living room or great room, and the size of yard. These should be the items you absolutely cannot live without.

4. Check the surroundings: You aren’t just buying a home to live in when you pick a house out you are also choosing a neighborhood to live in. For instance It is preferable to buy a home that is in an up-and-coming or well-cared-for area. Homes in areas that are declining may lose value and never recover. Looking into the school systems and the crime-rate are also important factors.

5. Keep it in the budget: Understandably you want the best thing that your money can buy. However when buying a house you will need to check your finances, including looking towards current and future expenses, and don’t exceed that. It’s better to buy a home that you can easily afford than one you have to work to find money for.

6. Don’t limit yourself when looking: Make sure that you are seeing as many different homes in your price range as possible and don’t limit yourself to just old or just new, look at both.

7. Location matters: A house that is located on a busy street might be bothersome as a homeowner than one that is located inside a quiet neighborhood. Not to mention that when it comes time to re-sell your home will most likely be worth more if it’s located in a quiet area opposed to a busy one.

8. Pick your "type": There are many different types of homes out there, so figure out which type best suites you whether it’s a single-family-home, a condo, a townhome, etc. You’ll want to pick a type that works with your lifestyle and your future plans. For instance a single-family-home will have to be maintained by the homeowner while a condo will have someone else to look over all of those needs.

9. Distinguish important from not so important: A small thing that can be fixed shouldn’t detract you from buying a perfectly good home. For instance you might go into a home and not like the paint, the cleanliness or the carpet but those are not things that are permanent so it’s something you should be able to look past. On the other hand you might be able to put a marble in the middle of the room and have it roll, you might have a slab issue and that would be something that would be something you wouldn’t want to have to deal with.

10. Look to the future: Although you want to look at your house as a home first and not an investment you should put some thought into how easy or difficult it might be to resell the home eventually.

Take these things into account as you look for a new home and remember nothing is more rewarding than finding the perfect home!