I want to buy a new apartment this year. How do I move?
New Year’s does weird things to us. It makes us want big changes without necessarily figuring out to go about achieving them.
The first thing you should do is go to five open houses. Just be random: go to different neighborhoods and look at things at different prices. Make sure you look at something that costs twice what your budget is, and something that costs half what your budget is.
Then make notes about your reactions to the apartments. Do you like fancy new kitchen appliances? Lots of closets? Being near a certain subway?
Of course the apartment that is twice your budget will be your favorite, but try to think if it has anything that you might want to get in your eventual apartment — sometimes when you overshoot, you can pick up an idea that you can make work at your budget. (Example: isn’t that clever how they built in the office nook).
The point, if you have no idea where to start, is to go out and see apartments. Once you react, you’ll be able to pick out a path.