Buying a home almost always involves compromises.

Maybe you wish it had four bedrooms, but you're willing to settle for three. Or perhaps the living room feels a bit smaller than you'd like, but you think you can make it work for a few years. Sometimes a house feels like it's just right for now -- but not necessarily for the long run.

But every so often, you'll walk into a home and realize:

1. This works well for us now.

2. This will work well for us later, too.

This is unusual.... and is not something every buyer can expect to have happen in their home search.

If you come across a home that checks both boxes -- highly functionality now and flexibility for the future -- it's often reasonable to:

1.  Act more quickly than you might for a "just okay" option

2.  Stretch your budget slightly if it means getting a house that truly fits

3.  Overlook a few cosmetic flaws that are easily fixable over time

After all, you're not just buying this house for today -- you're buying for the years ahead. And finding a home that supports both your current and future needs is a rare opportunity not to take for granted.