What items should homebuyers evaluate when purchasing a new home?
Home buying can be a daunting endeavor, especially for the first timer. Nevertheless, it cannot be that bad, because many people actually venture into it, and buy worthy properties. So it proves that whatever hurdles may come your way in a property purchase, those can be overrun easily. However, it would be worthwhile to have an idea of what you should evaluate while on property hunt.
The neighborhood
Of course, this is the priority factor to consider while on a house hunt. After all, your home is your haven and it should be a place where your family will be safe. Check for the crime record in each neighborhood you are interested in. There are online means to check the livability score of neighborhoods, so make sure you do that.
The popularity of a home, or the lack of it
Each home will be priced according to its market value. In case you come across a lowly priced home, then get your antennas on high alert. There must be something that caused it to be so low. If the seller is in a hurry to sell the home and move off, then it might be good. But there are still other factors to check:
- How long has the house been in the market?
- How many people had shown genuine interest?
- What is the result of previous home showings?
The transportation means
The transportation mode is a main factor to consider depending on what your commute type is. Some people like to have bus routes near their home, some like cycling routes because they prefer biking to cars or buses. If you prefer to use the car, see how much time it will take to reach your place of work. After all, that’s what Google traffic maps are for. And it will depend on whether you are on a gas save mode or time save mode.
Inspecting the home – on the outside
Invest in home inspection because there is no point in spending thousands of dollars on a home that develops problems later on. So it is imperative to check the home on the outside and the inside thoroughly.
On the outside
The overhangs of the house – Some houses have no overhangs, and this can be really bad. If the overhang is bigger its better for the house to gets sufficient rain protection.
Does it have a sloping ground – The ground should slope at least 5 degrees away from the house, or else the surface water can damage the foundation.
The siding – The siding, if made of wood will need repainting every 15 years, so you need to figure out the future maintenance costs before purchasing the house.
Checking the inside
Go through each and every accessory and appliance that will be sold along with the house to check for their working condition. You can also check their performance rating.
Bathrooms and kitchen – These two main places will reveal their secrets to you if you spend time checking them thoroughly. Check for the quality of their materials, leakages and broken taps, if any.
Basements – Basements reveal flooding indications. Check for molds and indications of previous flooding. Trust your nose and your instincts.
Conclusion
These are basically the things you need to look out for while evaluating a home for purchase. Of course, it doesn’t end there; you need to get into the financial aspect as the next step before signing on the dotted line. We will discuss that in another article.