Purchasing Your Home

by Veronika Kent

All sims need a home, and all homes need a sim. Some families decide to build their homes from the ground up, others families buy a home that is already built and sometimes furnished. Either way is great, but if your family plans on buying a pre-built home there are a few things you need to know.

When selecting a new home, think about why you are moving. Need more space? Bigger yard? Need less space? Then think about the needs of your family. Need a workshop for the growing business? Want to have a garden? Entertain more? Do the kids need their own room? Don’t forget to have plenty of bathrooms. I suggest that there is at least one bathroom for every two family members. Finally, look at how much money you are willing to spend. I suggest looking at your net worth and then subtracting about 5,000-10,000 simoleans to buy furniture. If the house is furnished, even better!

Now that you have a criterion, look around your neighborhood for a home that meets your needs and your finances. What if your family finds a perfect house, but it is a tad too much? See if your real estate agent can have the home altered. By redecorating with cheaper wallpapers and flooring, your dream house can cost less. What if your perfect home needs an extra room? Ask the agent to have a room built, it is cheaper to build the room before you move in. Want more trees and flowers? Thanks to a bill passed in the SimNation Senate, the value of the landscaping of a piece of property is not taken in account when the property is sold. So have your agent plant all the trees and flowers you want, you can even add a lake if you desire.

I suggest buying an unfurnished home, for furnishings quickly inflate the price of a home, unless you are lucky enough to find an abandoned home. Abandoned homes are placed on the market when the family marries another family, or dies. That means all the original furnishings are available for discounted prices.

Now that you found your new home, let me be the first to say, welcome home.