Know What To Look For In A Home

3 December 2017

Once you decide to buy a home you want to educate yourself on the home shopping process. The first thing to do is get pre-qualified. The next thing to do is to get yourself an agent. Everything will be a lot easier to go through when you have a real estate agent there to help. When you are looking for homes, your agent will present ones to you that they feel have a good chance of being a good match. Here are some of the things you want to make sure to do to increase the likeliness of you ending up in the right home that's in the right area and that won't end up bringing costly surprises with them:

Look on your own

Your real estate agent will be one of your best tools when looking for that next place. However, no matter how good your agent is and how much they know about what you want, no one knows your likes and dislikes as well as you do. Therefore, you can also look for a home on your own as well. However, if you find one you are interested in, remember to go through your agent when it comes to contacting the selling agent.

Know what to look for when looking at a home

When you go to look at a home you want to know what to pay attention to, so you can properly determine which one truly is the best pick for your family. Find out about the land. Here are some things to look into:

• Make sure the land isn't in a flood zone.
• If on a flag lot, make sure this really works for your family.
• Verify you can have the animals you want on that property.
• Find out if the house is on sewer or has septic (If septic, make sure this is fine for you).
• Find out how old the roof is so you know how long to expect out of it.
• If the home was remodeled, find out if the electric and plumbing were also updated (If the home is old).
• Find out about the HOA fees and rules (If the home is in a neighborhood with an HOA).
• Make sure the house has everything on your 'must-have' list.

Evaluate the neighborhood of a home you are considering buying

When it comes to buying a home, you don't want to discount the importance of the neighborhood it sets in. Moving in the wrong neighborhood can be just as much of a mistake as buying the wrong house. Here are some things you can do to be sure the neighborhood is right:

• Pay attention to the other homes to see that they are well-maintained.
• Verify the crime is low in that direct area.
• Pay attention to the amount of traffic on your street.
• Make sure the things you need can be accessed quickly, such as stores and doctors.
• Take a few moments to be sure the street feels comfortable to you.
• Watch for red flags like potentially troublesome neighbors, an airport or train tracks close by, etc.