When starting a property search, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and not focus on or know what to look for. Here are some expert tips for people who are starting their home buying search and need some help on what to pay attention to! Happy property hunting! :)
Check overall condition of the property- roof, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring and account for whether they are in good condition and if they need to be remodeled/replaced prior to move in
Check ceilings for damp spots💧- signs of potential water leaks and flooring levelness- signs of potential foundation issues
Visit the area at night 🌃 - it’ll let you know if it’s an area you feel safe living in and walking around at night!
Drive around the neighborhood 🚙 - whether the neighbors are maintaining their homes and have pride of ownership in their home will improve the value of the area and additional street parking is a huge plus!
Map the commute to work from the house location- if you commute a lot, it’s always good to know and estimate how much time is needed 📍
Whether the property is located on a busy/main street and whether it’s located close to a freeway- this could contribute to excessive noise levels and air pollution and potentially impact resale value
Make sure the layout of the property makes sense for you/your family/your significant other- I’ve seen quite a few interesting layouts that absolutely don’t make sense and would be costly to change 🏡
Walk through the home and make sure the floors are level and there are no significant cracks against the doors and windows of the home- sometimes this could signify bigger issues at hand such as foundation issues or just a bad or cheap floor remodeling job🚶🏻♀️
How close the home is to your ideal grocery stores, hang out spots, work, favorite restaurants/bars, friends’ homes, etc.- you will be making this commute to all the aforementioned places and more so as they say in real estate… LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! 🚙
If natural lighting is very important to you, use a compass (especially if visiting the home on a day when it’s cloudy or late), to figure out which direction the sunlight will hit the home during the day- there is an ideal direction for this! 🌞👀
Hopefully this was helpful and please feel free to contact me for any questions or advice! 🤗👩🏻💼
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