You have been on a few dates with a guy, and everything seems to be going well. You get on like a house on fire, and he looks like he might be the right guy for you. You are thinking of taking the relationship to the next level, but wait! You need to know a few things about him before you let things get serious. There are no set answers, or magic questions, but there are some good pointers that you can use to help assess your relationship, and whether it has a future, or not. Here are a few questions to ask:

Dating Advice For Women Tip #1. Does he practice safe sex?

Yes, this is a very serious question. That is why it is first. You may not be considering having sex with the guy yet, but you need to know that he is responsible when the time comes. Of course, you have a responsibility here too, but you need to know that he has always had protected sex. If not, then you are putting yourself at risk of catching a sexually transmitted disease. Don’t take any chances with this one. If he refuses to discuss his past sexual conquests then it is essential that you have protected sex, until he has had proper tests to prove he is clear of all infections.

Dating Advice For Women Tip #2. Have you been to his house?

After the serious nature of number 1, you might think that this is far lighter. Hang on, and think about it for a minute. If a guy has been to your house, even if it is just to pick you up for a date, then isn’t it only fair that you have been to his? Yes, but there is more to it than that. If you do not really know where a guy lives, then you also don’t know who he lives with. Now you are getting the point. He might be hiding something, like a wife! He may just want to protect his privacy until you do get more serious, and it may be that innocent an explanation, but you can still be a little skeptical.

Dating Advice For Women Tip #3. Do you have his home phone number?

This carries on from number 2. If you don’t have the guy’s home phone number, you need to ask yourself why. Is he afraid that his long-term girlfriend will answer the phone? Some guys may say that they don’t have a home number but, if they have an Internet connection, then they probably do. If he always has to call you, or have you only call at certain times, then this is also a sign that someone else may be sharing the number with him. It is worth being a little cynical if he only speaks to you from work, or when he is on his way home.

Dating Advice For Women Tip #4. Is he in debt?

You may not care about whether a guy has a lot of money, or not, but the way that he handles money can be a good indicator of the type of person he is. If he is in debt for no apparent reason, then he may have a gambling habit, or worse. You need to be able to discuss finances fairly openly. Ok, he might not want to tell you exactly what he earns yet, but you need to know that he is responsible with money, and that your earnings are not going to end up funding his habit while you haven’t got enough to buy the groceries.

Dating Advice For Women Tip #5. Why did he break up with his ex?

Good question! There is no guarantee that the same will happen with you, but it is worth finding out what went wrong in his previous relationships. This will give you a good idea whether the two of you could face similar problems, or not. If he blames all the break ups on the other person then beware!

Dating Advice For Women Tip #6. Have you met his friends?

No one is expecting you to like all of his friends, any more than he is expected to like yours. It is good to meet them though as it is an indicator of how serious he thinks your relationship could be. If you aren’t good enough to meet his friends then it is likely that your relationship is only a very temporary one!

Dating Advice For Women Tip #7. Does he pay attention to the little things?

This is a difficult one to nail down. There are a lot of indicators that your relationship is ready to move to the next stage. If he sends you little notes, emails, text messages or calls you just to say ‘Hi!’ then this means that he is thinking about you when you are not together. He may not be able to afford to send you flowers every day, but you know the little gestures that indicate how he feels, without him saying a word. They all add up to let you know that he wants the relationship to get serious too.

Dating Advice For Women Tip #8. Do you feel that the time is right?

This has got to be the biggest signal of all. If you feel that the relationship is ready to be taken to the next stage, and you want it, then you are probably right. A girl’s intuition is a powerful force. If it is not giving you the right signals, then you should listen to it. That doesn’t mean that you have to dump the guy, it might just be that you need a little more time to be sure.

Dating Advice For Women Tip #9. Does he talk about future plans together?

This doesn’t have to be that he has the entire future mapped out down to which college your kids will go to, but if he is discussing holiday plans, or maybe moving in together then that is a great sign. You don’t need to feel rushed into anything, at the end of the day you should be able to take your time. If he gets down on one knee and pops the question though it would certainly tell you how he is feeling!