To determine your needs you need to be honest with your living situation. A young couple looking to start a family is in a much different situation compared to a couple of empty nesters. Ask yourself can I live in this house today? Can I grow into this house? Do I need a basement? An attic? A third bathroom? Make a list of things your new house needs to have for you to live in it. Then make a list of the features in your dream house. Now when you go shopping eliminate all houses that meet your needs list. Then narrow it down by price and wants list. Remember this is a long term investment that you can add to or renovate over the years to fit changing living situations.
Key features to look at in buying a house include number of bathrooms, bedrooms, dining area, size of kitchen, and laundry room. An example would be look at how you eat meals. Do you eat at the table in a formal setting? Or at a table in an informal setting? Or in front of the TV? Looking at how you live helps answer these questions. Formal eating you will want a dining room, informal maybe just a eat in kitchen, in front of the TV maybe a kitchen bar. Any room that you have that you do not use will add cost to your utilities (heating and cooling). The first house I bought we had a formal dining room, we lived there 16 years and we only ate in that room 3 times. It was a massive waste of space, however it was a lesson I learned on the kind of house that fits me. Ask these questions about every room. Be honest with the lifestyle you have. This will also play a role in buying the house and the overall cost. Asking these questions before placing an offer can save years of unused space and higher house prices for features you do not need. Buying a house is a big step that can bring joy for years or a nightmare if you pick the wrong one.