Crohn's & Real Estate: What to Consider When Buying a New House

As you well know, Crohn's affects every area of your life. It encompasses far more than your eating and digestive habits, and as such, Crohn's has to be a consideration in every major decision that you make. When a Crohn's patient or the family of a Crohn's patient is ready to consider buying a new house there are several factors that must be taken into consideration. It is important to bring this to the attention of your real estate agent.

It's exciting to be in the market for real estate. It's important to find a house that you can turn into a home. You want your new house to be a reflection of your personality and inner beauty. The key to successfully purchasing new real estate as a Crohn's patient is to find a home that suits your taste but is also functional in terms of the needs which often arise due to Crohn's.

Crohn's and Real Estate: What to Consider When Buying a New House - Location

Every real estate agent and potential home buyer knows the first consideration is location, location, location. The same is true for the purchase of a new home by a Crohn's patient or family. The considerations are just a bit different.

Due to the unpredictable nature of Crohn's and the ability of the disease to incapacitate you with pain or bowel irritation suddenly, it is important that your new house is real estate located near your place of business, school, and other convenience stores.

For a Crohn's patient, this goes beyond a matter of simple convenience. It is important that anyone with Crohn's be within a reasonably "safe" distance of their home when at work, school, shopping for groceries, or purchasing gas. A "safe" distance can only be determined by you, the Crohn's patient. How quickly you experience the onset of symptoms, the frequency of flare-ups, and the severity of their flare-ups will dictate what you consider safe.

Crohn's patients need to be able to seek refuge in the comfort of their home when they are in pain, experiencing gastrointestinal problems, or feel weak and fatigued by Crohn's. The bottom line is to determine how far you can travel when Crohn's symptoms strike. Use that to help your real estate agent determine how far from your work or school you are willing to live.

In addition to close proximity to your job or school make sure that you are within a "safe" distance of groceries, shopping, restaurants, entertainment venues, doctors, and hospitals. This may change your ideal location from a ranch on the outskirts of the city, to a place in town, or a new house in the heart of a suburb. The important thing to consider when looking at real estate is how well you, as a Crohn's patient, can live and function in this environment if you were having a major Crohn's flare-up.

Your real estate agent doesn't have to know about your Crohn's, especially if you are uncomfortable talking about it. What your real estate agent should understand is you're to be close to the hub of your life.

Crohn's and Real Estate: What to Consider When Buying a New House - Bathrooms

Everyone wants nice bathrooms in their new home. Few people, however, realize how important it is that Crohn's patients' consider bathrooms when buying a new house.

Typically, newer homes are built with a master bathroom and additional bathrooms to be shared by pairs of bedrooms. Some homes have a bathroom in every bedroom. The important thing for a Crohn's patient is that there are at least one and a half bathrooms.

Ideally, there should be one bathroom for everyone who lives in the home. This ensures that there is always a bathroom open should a crisis arise for the person with Crohn's.

The locations of the bathrooms in your new house are also important. Before buying a new house be sure to consider whether a bathroom is easily accessible from anywhere in the house. One of the bathrooms should even be near the front door for quick dashes into the house.

Crohn's and Real Estate: What to Consider When Buying a New House - Accessibility to the Inside of your New Home

This brings us to consider the issue of access to the house you consider buying. Depending on the stage and aggressiveness of your Crohn's, you may have minimal symptoms, moderate to severe Crohn's symptoms, Rheumatoid arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Neuropathy, or other symptoms and diseases sometimes associated with Crohn's. Depending on your Crohn's manifestation you may need a ramp now, or consider the future need for a ramp. Other important things to consider and look for when buying a home are minimal stairs and easy access from all exterior doors.

Crohn's and Real Estate: What to Consider When Buying a New House - Make a House Your Home

There are many things to consider when you, as a Crohn's patient, are looking for a new house. Your real estate agent will help you maneuver through the search for a new home, but the search will only be successful if you let your agent know of your needs and preferences.