Are you a visual person? I certainly am. My friend Elaine over at Mortgage Free in Three is a bit of a genius when it comes to designing Mind Maps. Companies pay her a lot of money to read business books and evaluate them in a diagrammatic map. When I was studying in my masters year, I used mind maps to condense large amounts of coursework that I had to memorise for exams. The colours work together as a visual stimulus and I seem to be able to recall what each branch and point is highlighting much better than plain text.
Similar to revising for exams in this unconventional way, I often get bored with the standard text layout of some blogs. Those who fail to structure their writing into paragraphs and reasonable sentences lose my interest quickly. I always think the girls over at Money After Graduation do a superb job of breaking up their posts into different sections with colours, headings and pictures. It makes it much more friendly on the eye. I think I try to read things so freaking fast that I skim read and miss bits unless there is a
BOLD COLOURED HEADING
to break up the writing!
Why I Like Infographics
Infographics tell a story – similar to how a blog post does – but a story that you can read in any order. You can skim it down the left and up the right and miss out the middle bit altogether; and you will still take in some useful information. And because infographics are ususally very colourful and have pretty pictures I guess they interest me more than 800 words of text!
Instead of writing about the shift in attitudes of today’s home buyers – you can be visually stimulated instead…
In designing the above infographic, ComRes interviewed 2,275 prospective homebuyers in Britain on behalf of Barratt Homes, investigating the demographics and buying habits of people looking to buy a new home in the UK. Amongst other interesting facts, the Barratt infographic illustrates that raising a deposit for a new home has become less of a concern for potential homeowners, while it is becoming more and more difficult to find the right property. I must admit I also love how broadband speed is undeniably a Huge Factor in deciding where to purchase a home. I’m just gutted that my street is the cut-off for an exchange that has been upgraded to fiber… we are still running ADSL! Some of my readers from across the pond will find it hard to believe that we are not fully cabled!!
Time to be honest.. what were the key factors that you would consider / have considered when buying a home? Is broadband speed or a home cinema important? Does a walk-in-wardrobe seal the deal?! Discuss..
You’re spot on about infographics. This is a dandy, too.
I’m not surprised “finding the right home” was last…I’ve found plenty of homes to buy but not enough money…ha!
What do I look for in a home? I look for quirky character. I like a house that doesn’t look like every other….
I want to bang my head against the wall when I read my own posts sometimes. I write stuff in word, copy paste in wordpress, all looks good, then add a few words, they look the same shape and size on the draft and appear bigger, smaller, or whatever on the real post. Even if I bring the whole post to have the same font and size. Argh! Easily readable posts are something (more) to work on.
Cool infographic, what I was looking for in a home was central location, to do everything by foot, distance from the train station, to leave easily to London/airport, rental value in case I moved and wanted to rent, Rental value was good because of the first two points. I’d rather have a bigger room than an en-suite.
This was such an easy read that it makes my posts look especially dull and boring.
I am still trying to figure out how to add a contact page so brightly coloured graphics out of my grasp.
I had to move quickly because of a seperation so I chose my current home in the same school district. I chose a home withing walking distance of the new home so they could still participate in after school activities when I had to be at work. As a result my home is a beige boring box that lacks insulation and character.
I would like a house with both character and an insulated basement in the future.
I am a huge Infographic fan!! I recently posted two that I really enjoyed about credit. I love how much you can learn from these graphics.
I had a list when I was looking, it was this
– a pantry
– a linen closet
– a bathroom with a window (did not get that)
– location: good transport links/proximity to groceries (so I don’t have to buy a car)
– ‘character’ (hard to explain and quantify but I didn’t want ‘builder basic’)
– no lift (sadly, also didn’t get that).
– gas kitchen (also compromised on this).
Overall I’m happy, location really is the biggest win – walk to grocery store, train and buses. Happy I ended up with a car park – which wasn’t a requirement, but with a work vehicle, it makes life easier. The lift adds $$ and the lack of window is a symptom of a building conversion.
I love infographics. Such a nice change of pace, plus I’m a visual person. For us when we looked for a home we had a few criteria – we knew what city we wanted to live in, so now we needed to find a nice, safe neighborhood, close to schools, close to the beach as we could afford (would love a view but too pricey, but we are within a reasonable walking distance) but most importantly – a mortgage that fit our lifestyle. We love to travel and wanted to make sure our mortgage didn’t eat into our travel budget, etc. As a financial advisor, I’ve meet with people who bought more home than they needed, wanted or enjoyed and didn’t have money to do any “extras”. I wasn’t going to make their mistake when it came time for me to buy a home.
It is all about getting the middle ground I guess… not so well located that you pay extortionate prices and are the prime target for thieves, but definitely not in an area where the schools are bad and the crime is high! All links back to the living within your means (as you point out)! It is a shame when people end up buying a place to impress someone else that they can’t afford… so many other aspects of their lives suffer! Just not worth it!