How does it make you feel when you first see it? While curb appeal is often what sells a home, it is always good for a buyer to stop and look beyond this. If you really love it, slow down and take a good hard look of the reality of the home. Look at the location: convenience to schools, shopping, transportation, sports, etc., whatever you need or enjoy. Is anything changing (new park, new freeway, factories closing down, crime rate rising)?
Consider which factors will make the house your home: quiet/busy neighborhood, corner lot, distance to neighbors, yard, view, other amenities (parking, fence, landscaping), size and layout of the rooms (bathrooms on each floor? privacy? common spaces? workshop? garage?), general age and condition (Victorian needs rehab, or brand new, move-in condition), depending on your preferences.
Do you have any furniture that will fit? Can you see yourself making breakfast every day in that kitchen? Ask to come back at a different time of day so you can see how the daylight changes in and around the home. What do you hear when standing in the bedroom (car alarms? traffic? airplanes? children playing? nothing but birds twittering)?
Consider if it is a good investment: can you afford to purchase it, pay the taxes and other costs, make repairs, do maintenance? How does the value compare with other similar houses recently sold in the area? Is it already the most expensive house on the street? Over-priced "fixer upper"?
While there are always pros and cons to every property, it is up to you to decide what is most important in a home. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as obtaining too much information. Buying a new house is never easy, but by thoroughly weighing your options and it can be much more manageable.
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