The very first thing that you need to find out is how much you can afford. Talk to your bank and see how much you can get in a pre-approved mortgage. This will give you a ballpark figure to work with. This also gives your agent an idea of what range of homes to show you.
You could consider buying a property with the space to construct a workshop and making your own. There are options where you can add on to your mortgage for property improvements and use the money to build a workshop that is both new and built to meet your needs. The same goes for other structures, such as a garage or garden area.
When they say that the most important aspects of real estate are 'location, location, location', it’s not a joke. However, it might be more accurate to say that the key is proximity. Proximity to the neighborhood elements which are important to you will not only make your surroundings more livable but can also add value to your home.
When you decide that it's the right time for you and your family to finally take the plunge and buy a new home, it's important to keep a goal in mind while you're looking. Ideally, you're going to want to find a home that you and your family can reside in comfortably for quite some time; to accomplish this you need to keep in mind not only what needs your family has but also what you can afford to buy and make monthly payments on in the future.
Remember that there is no substitute for having a great Realtor that you can work in conjunction with to make your home buying dreams come true. Let your buyer's agent know that you want to be an active part of the search for your perfect home so that they know what kind of buyer you are; but let them do their job too.
As a buyer or a seller, would you think that this is a good practice? Take Google. Google is the Internet's phonebook. As a buyer, would you be suspicious of a company that is trying to hide information from you on the site of one of their registered members?
For some home buyers or builders a dream home might be a huge multimillion dollar affair with marble tiled floors and white shag carpeting throughout; for others, a modest floor plan with a spa bathroom and a professional style kitchen would be far more desirable. Different people have different dreams, and so their dream homes will vary accordingly.
While I think that agents should ask their clients questions, I don't believe that it is up to the agent to ask his or her clients for every possible combination of needs that they might require out of a property. At some point it becomes the responsibility of the buyer to let the agent know what they need.