Buying a house is a big decision and comes with many things to consider. What kind of home do you want? How many rooms? Pool or no pool? What kinds of amenities do you want to be close to? It is a list that keeps going on and on. And while you are thinking these factors through, important things you should be paying attention to might slip your mind. So, in order to make things easier for you, we have written this blogpost of things to keep in mind while searching for your home. Hopefully, it will help facilitate you in comparing homes after touring them and help to avoid anything from slipping your mind.
Let’s start with the exterior.
First, it is important to take a close look at the lawn. A lawn that is not well maintained can lead to longer issues in the future. Look out for yellowing and browning of spots of a well-kept grass area as this could mean a fungal problem which is a hard fix that is costly and timely. Another important thing to look out for, if the lawn is wet or soggy and smells unpleasant then this could potentially mean a sewer line that is broken which is an issue that needs to be fixed in a timely manner.
It is also important to think about whether the exterior of the house gives you the potential to make changes in the future. The home owners association of that area might not allow for any kinds of changes to be made in the exterior, therefore it is always smart to ask to learn about what changes you can make.
Finally, whilst considering the exterior of the house, a big factor to take into consideration is the community. It might be a good idea to take a look into things such as crime rates, school ranking, noise pollution, traffic flow …. etc. in the community before making an investment in it.
Now we can move into the interior side of the checklist. Falling in love with the interior of a home is very important in making a purchasing decision, but as many people say love can make you blind! It is also important to keep an eye out on certain interior issues that could lead to bigger issues in the future.
First, one that is easily noticeable is the state of the walls and the floors. Cracks in the walls, watermarks, bubbling on the ceiling, or warped floors are not something you want to see in your new home, and they can be a sign of bigger issues in the house. If you see any of these things, it is always best to investigate that the house doesn’t come with water damage or termites.
Another interesting point that might be easily misunderstood is if you see a house with extra rooms or anything that the house was advertised as having, you might want to find out why it wasn’t advertised. These additions can be anything from a garage that was converted, rooms that have lower roof lines than the outside of the home and free-standing guest houses. These additions might not have been permitted, it is important that the house was built with proper permits, which also includes the additions that were not advertised. Constructions that were not permitted can be very unsafe and the city could fine you for it.
Finally, when you get to the house that you are touring, take a deep breath in every room. Is there a weird smell? A house that has mildew might smell musty, or one with mould might smell like wet socks. Besides being extremely unpleasant on the nose and extremely costly to fix, these are also harmful to the health. Additional odours to look out for are cigarette smells and pet smells, which can be very difficult to remove. Look out for the use of candles or diffusers when touring the home, these may be signs that some unpleasant smells are trying to be hidden from home buyers.
All information gathered from: https://orchard.com/blog/posts/house-hunting-checklist-for-buyers
