This is a photo of our favorite house in Colonial Williamsburg. I keep it filed, because if we ever get the opportunity to build one more home, this is the look we want. However, for many of us a move doesn’t afford us the opportunity to begin from ground level and design down to the smallest detail. Most of us go into the housing market wandering through existing homes trying to find the one that best suits the needs of our family. We have moved six times  - we rented twice, built twice, and moved into previously owned homes twice. Each has its own story, but for today I would like to share with you a few of the tips we’ve learned along the way.

1. You’ve heard it before - Location, location, location . . . narrow down the area in which you would like to live before you get your heart set on a house . . . learn about the community, schools, and health care.

2. Look closely at what you drive by to get to the house. If you find it unappealing, so will future buyers when its time for resale.

3. Look at the neighbors homes. You can change the look of the house you purchase, but you cannot change the neighbors homes. So, like number 2 - if you don’t find it attractive it will annoy you while you live there, and it could hurt you when it comes to resale.

4. Don’t be afraid to check it out even if the facade isn’t exactly the one you would have chosen. We were surprised to find that although the architectural design of the home we are living in is very modern, our country look compliments it very nicely. We would have missed out on the perfect home, if we had looked at the exterior and rejected it as being too modern.

5. Try to picture youself there . . . separate your tastes from the present decor. I will never forget a house we almost purchased as our first home. We absolutely fell in love. It was a tiny cottage filled with antiques! It was perfect! Then our realtor said, “You do realize that the antiques are going with them don’t you?” LOL When we looked at the house closely disregarding the decor, we realized that the house was not what we were looking for - we just loved the current owners sense of style. Also, our current home was completely decorated in black, white, and shades of gray. All of the lines were clean and straight . . . lovely, but not us. However, a little paint, our furniture and accents, and we ended up with our Country Classic home.

I hope these tips will help a little. Please add any you may have based on your own experiences. Maybe we can even get Susan to give us a list of tips for staging your home when you are getting ready to sell. Happy House Hunting!!