Finding a good home to rent can be a daunting task, especially if you are in a foreign country, but it needn’t be if you plan ahead on what to look for and take a systematic approach.
Finding a local expert in property that you can trust is absolutely crucial for the successful home finding, but what to do once you have shortlisted 2-3 properties to ensure the one You choose is the right one for you?
Enter the Home Choice Matrix
Proven to:
remove the emotion out of the process
prioritise what is important
identify the most suitable home if you work through it and stick to the result it produces
Start by:
Make a priority list, what are the most important points you need in your home.
Examples: Proximity to work and/or school, secure estate, domestic quarters, number of bedrooms Put a weight on each priority.
Examples: if a secure estate is your top non-negotiable priority, you might want to give it a weighting of 5. If a domestic room is nice to have but not too important and you can go without it, the Weighting should be 1
List your deal breakers and what you are willing to compromise on.
For example: If you are a family of four, it might be a deal breaker if a home only has two bedrooms. On the other hand, you might be willing to compromise and have your children share a room.
List the 3-4 shortlisted homes you have identified. You will dedicate one column for each of these homes in your Home Choice Matrix.
For example:
House in Parkhurst
Apartment in Sandton
House in Waterfall
Home Choice Matrix
Column 1 - Complete your top priorities
Column 2 - weighting you give each priority
Column 3 – the score you give shortlisted home 1 (ie the house in Parkhurst)
Column 4 - the score you give shortlisted home 2 (ie the apartment in Sandton)
Column 5 - the score you give shortlisted home 3 (ie the house in Waterfall)
Multiply the weight in column 2 with the score in column 3, 4, etc and tally up the total for each house.
Compare the totals scores and voila! Let the best home win…
Example matrix
Priorities list Weighting
| Priorities list | Weighting (Level of importance to you) Scale 1 - 5 | House in Parkhurst Your Score |
Weighted Score | Apartment in Sandton Your Score |
Weighted Score | House in Waterfall Your Score |
Weighted Score |
| Security | 5 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 25 | 5 | 25 |
| Proximity to work | 5 | 5 | 25 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 20 |
| Sufficient space, number of bedrooms | 3 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
| Availability of domestic room | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Quality of finishes | 4 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 16 | 3 | 12 |
| Rent, does it fit the allowance? | 4 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 |
| Aesthetically appealing | 5 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 20 | 3 | 15 |
| Swimming Pool | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Big Garden | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Estate over complex | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 15 |
| Total | 93 | 91 | 142 |
If you use the matrix and tally up the score of 2-3 potential homes, you will be surprised how much clarity this system will give you when you are undecided between different homes.
Remember, looks are important, but comfort, practicality and proximity to the main points of your daily commute – work – school, are crucial for your long-term enjoyment of your ome and quality of life.
Contact your trusted property expert for support, and advice on choosing the home that will keep you happy the longest.
Landi – here you should please insert a blanc matrix for people to print and complete on their own Please see the above explanation of each step to completing the matrix makes sense and is easy to understand
The blanc matrix should be on its own page:
Now, print and complete the matrix for the properties you have shortlisted and have fun with it