What Should a Buyer Look for in a Home?
Working with buyers in this crazy season has us thinking about the most important things to them when looking for a house. Maybe you are in the beginning stages of looking for that perfect house and haven't really thought about what should be most important to you. We're here to give you a hand today.
LOCATION
You have probably been thinking, “The new place should be no more than 20 minutes from work or from our daycare center.” Some other important thoughts with location is does the house back up to a busy street, is it on the corner which often times means a larger lot, is it on a cul-de-sac, does it back up to commercial property? All things to consider with location.
PRICE
When you are looking at your monthly payments on a house you need to know it will include the principal and interest of the loan, the home owner's insurance, taxes and sometimes PMI, (Private Mortgage Insurance), if you haven't put a full 20% down. If you are just starting the process and are wondering, how much will a house payment be on a $200,000 house, reach out to us. We'd love to help you start planning and budgeting to see if owning a home would be more cost effective than what you are paying right now in rent. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.
EXTERIOR
Does the house have vinyl siding, brick, wood siding, a newer roof, old windows, a garage, fence, etc.? Sometimes these are things we don't think of when looking at the cute houses that are bigger than our current living situation that we just can't wait to get out of. A house with wood siding is going to need to be painted and one with vinyl siding will just need to be power washed. A house with a garage will be great to protect your cars from the harsh winters, but often times will cost you a little more. A roof can make or break an experience with a home. Just ask Becky about this one.
INTERIOR
Does the house have carpet, hardwoods or engineered wood? Is there only one bathroom for four family members? Where is the laundry located, upstairs, downstairs or maybe even in the detached garage?
Is your head spinning yet? Ours is, just typing this. Don't go about this journey alone. If you are reading this and you don't know any of us, feel free to reach out and ask for a reference or two from someone that has worked with us. We want you to feel 100% confident in this process, from the very beginning to the very end.
