LEVEL  1   LEVEL  2   LEVEL  3  

Location  

Commercial  business  nearby      

   

Mix  of  multi-­‐family  and  single  family  residences,  moderate  

traffic  and  noise  

 

Quiet  neighborhood,  light  traffic      

 

Neighborhood  Involvement  

No  neighborhood  association;  several  homes  in  disrepair;  above  average  crime  rate  

   

 

Neighborhood  association  available  but  not  active;  50%  of  properties  well  kept  and  clean;  average  crime  level  

 

 

Active  neighborhood  association;  most  homes  are  well  kept  and  clean;  minimal  crime  area  

 

   

Neighborhood  Facilities  

(street  lighting,  sewers,  sidewalks)  

Few  facilities  available      

   

Some  facilities  available      

 

All  facilities  available      

 

Lot  Size  

Houses  close  together;  minimal  private  outdoor  

space  

   

Houses  are  separated;  moderate  amount  of  private  

outdoor  space  

 

Houses  are  far  apart;  more  than  enough  private  outdoor  space  

 

 

Landscaping  

Minimal    

   

Average    

 

Above  average    

 

Size  of  Home  Small,  less  than  1,500  sq.  ft.  

   

Moderate,  1,500-­‐2,500  sq.  ft.  

 

Large,  over  2,500  sq.  ft.    

 

Size  of  Rooms  Small  

   

Medium  

   

Large  

   

Housing  Priority  Game    If  you  had  a  30-­‐object  budget,  what  would  your  priorities  be?    Read  the  descriptions  in  each  row.    For  each  row,  choose  level  1,  level  2  or  level  3  and  place  an  appropriate  number  of  objects  in  the  selected  square  to  indicate  your  spending  choices.    You  must  choose  one  square  in  each  row  with  the  exception  of  the  optional  row.    Note:  to  make  this  really  fun,  try  using  M&Ms  as  markers.  

     

2011  /  Daniel  Jeung  

Number  of  Bedrooms  

2  bedrooms    

   

3  bedrooms    

 

4  or  more  bedrooms    

 

  LEVEL  1   LEVEL  2   LEVEL  3  

Bathrooms  

1  bath    

   

1  ½  to  2  bathrooms    

 

2  ½  or  more  bathrooms    

 

Quality  of  Structure  (Soundness  of  foundation  

and  roof,  quality  of  building  materials)  

 

Minimum  Quality        

   

Average  Quality        

 

Excellent  Quality    

 

   

Energy  Saving  Features  

(Insulation,  storm  windows,  and  weather  

stripping)  

Few  energy-­‐saving  features      

   

Some  Energy-­‐saving  features      

 

Many  energy-­‐saving  features      

 

Quality  of  Interior  Materials  

(flooring,  counters,  cabinetry,  lighting)  

Minimum  Quality    

   

Average  Quality    

 

High  Quality    

 

Storage  

Minimal  Storage    

   

Average  storage    

 

Maximum  storage    

 

Optional  

1  car  garage    

   

2  car  garage    

 

3  or  more  car  garage    

 

 

The  goal  of  this  exercise  is  to  help  you  determine  your  priorities  when  searching  for  a  home.  While  it  would  be  nice  to  have  the  best  of  everything  in  your  home  purchase,  sometimes  trade-­‐offs  must  be  made,  depending  on  your  budget.    Questions:  

• Were  you  able  to  buy  a  home  with  your  30-­‐object  budget  that  you  could  be  happy  with?  • Were  you  able  to  differentiate  between  your  ‘needs’  and  ‘wants’?  • Did  you  have  extra  M&Ms  or  did  you  need  more  in  order  to  complete  the  game?  

 Now  imagine  if  your  purchasing  power  were  even  lower.  Go  ahead  and  eat  a  few  M&Ms  and  try  the  game  again,  seeing  what  new  trade-­‐offs  you  might  need  to  make  in  order  to  complete  the  game.