What to consider?
It is important to bear in mind a range of different factors when searching for the right home. The basic three are:
- What size of property do you need?
- Where would you like to live - what travel considerations are there?
- Any particular features that you need in the property, such as ground floor access, a garage, storage etc.
More information on buying a home can be obtained from Shelter Scotland.
The advantages and disadvantages to buying a home
Advantages:
- Long-term security over where you live
- Greater control over the furniture, decor and upkeep of your home
- It is generally an investment for the future
- Can enable future moves up the housing ladder
Disadvantages:
- It can be expensive depending on where you want to live
- Ongoing maintenance and repairs take time, can be costly and can cause worry
- Costs are less predictable and unexpected repair costs can be high
- When the market is slow, moving can take longer than anticipated
- In order to keep long term mortgage costs to a minimum, it may be necessary to re-mortgage every few years and this may incur some one-off costs