Not-so-profound newsflash: I love lists.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ve mentioned that around these here parts once or twice, but this obsession with lists isn’t likely to end anytime soon.

For the first time in our married life, the hubs and I are legitimately considering living off post at our next duty station. Cost of living in our future location is lower than it’s ever been before, so we might be able to find a suh-weet home within our budget.

When faced with this possibility, what should this semi-nerdy milspouse do? Create a list, of course!

Actually I created a home comparison chart. Because why not?!

I searched online to find some checklists of what I might desire in a home, and there were a few I kind of liked but none that really hit a “home run” (pun intended). So I created a printable of my own to use.

As I printed out a few copies for our future housing recon adventure, I remembered all you wonderful folks here at Army Wife Network. What a great chance to share the wealth (or rather, in this case—the nerdy checklist-ness)!

Because I think you’re great, here’s your printable. All you have to do is click the big link to the PDF under the images, print, and find your home sweet home. (I recommend completing this chart with your favorite inky pen, but it isn’t required.)

Home Comparison Chart

If you’re still on the fence about actually using your coveted printer ink for this chart, let me provide some additional info on the thought process behind its development.

This document is two pages and has enough space to compare three houses side-by-side. Working from the top down, it’s pretty self-explanatory, but I wanted to make it a little fun, hence the “House Nickname.” I’m hoping this helps to keep my scrambled thoughts focused, plus I plan to name potential houses kind of like they do on Fixer Upper: “The Forest House,” “The Retro Rancho Home,” or, my personal favorite, “All the Shiplap.” (Will there be a house with shiplap that fits in our budget? Not likely, but residing in Pretendland keeps me young.)

As you move down the list, I’ve included some things I absolutely want the house to have: a dishwasher, the type of heating/air, or if they allow pets. Our pup, Sweet Justus, has to be able to live with us, of course!

The categories give some general guidance and direction, such as the “Exterior” patio/porch situation, if it has a decent backyard and/or fence (non-negotiable for us), and the like. Not rocket science.

And of course, I had to have an “Extra” category to dream a little bit. Although not a show stopper, it would certainly be a bonus if the house had jets in the tub and a fireplace! (Don’t judge me…) I also left some blanks in this section in case you could care less about the fireplace, but really want a stainless steel fridge or fancy backsplash in the kitchen. Or shiplap.

The neighborhood category also helps capture the logistics of commute and amenities. I envision these kind of being like “tie breakers” for us.

Finally, the overall ranking can be used creatively. For us, I think we’ll rank like Amazon with 1-5 stars. You could use smiley faces or words, like the classic “Yay, nay, or meh.”

I hope that this printable comes in helpful for your next house hunting experience. Oh, and if you like this freebie, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter. We send out a nifty printable every single month, exclusively for those faithful followers who are on our list!