How do I choose a house to be my home?

The search for the perfect home can be exhilarating – knowing you are on the cusp of owning your very own property and finally making that transition from tenant to owner is an exciting time indeed.

However, it can also be exhausting. Trolling the internet, attending inspections and going over your list of must-haves with a fine tooth comb can be very time consuming.

Not to mention searching for a suitable home loan and sorting through your finances to find the answer to the question, how much can I borrow?

While everyone has different requirements for their dream home, one organisation has a recommendation that may help in your search.

Livibility, says chair of Livable Housing Australia (LHA) Peter Verwer, is a component that Australians should consider before moving into a home.

This does not mean the general day-to-day comfort that we automatically seek when looking at houses, but the long-term sustainability factors that we occasionally overlook.

Often people tend to look at a home only from the perspective they are in right now, failing to think about the future when things have a habit of changing.

The LHA has recognised this tendency and has therefore launched a national campaign to ensure that all homes are built with safety, comfort and accessibility in mind by 2020.

“Livable Housing Australia champions the adoption of seven critical ‘livable’ design features that help make homes easier to access, navigate and live in, as well more cost-effective to adapt when life’s circumstances change,” Mr Verwer said in a statement issued September 19.

“Livable homes work for pregnant mums, young families with kids, as well and those with disability and Australians with sporting or traumatic injuries.”

Mr Verwar said the standards will address the needs of an ageing society and also ease the difficulties faced by Australia’s 2.6 million unpaid carers.