With the spring real estate season just around the corner, hopeful home buyers everywhere are gearing up to pound the pavement in search of their dream home. The spring real estate market can be especially competitive, and it is important to be determined )(and even a little aggressive) if you want your offer to be accepted. If you’re about to embark on some house hunting, here are some of the top things you should be looking at when you attend your next home showing.
Roof
Buying a house with an old or bad roof is like buying a car with only three tires—you’re going to have a pretty hard time if you don’t take care of the problem immediately. When attending a home showing, one of the first things you should do is take note of the condition of the roof. This doesn’t mean you have to climb on top of the house yourself, but do your best to observe the roof from the ground and keep an eye out for any obvious signs of aging or noticeable defects. You can also ask when the roof was installed to give you an accurate idea of it’s condition. For some people, an old roof isn’t an immediate deal breaker. If you fall under this category, be sure to use a house payment calculator to see if the cost of repairing or replacing the roof would make sense for your budget.
Trees
When checking out a new house, you might not even be thinking of the trees that surround the property. However, it is imperative that you take note of the trees that are close to the house if you’re serious about making an offer. Having trees near a home can lead to some potential hazards, such as them catching on fire or falling on your house or car during a storm, or even less serious risks, like leaves clogging your gutters.
The presence of trees is often overlooked during home inspections, but it is important that you keep an eye out for them, particularly ones that look to be rotting, when shopping for homes. Removing trees can be expensive and time consuming, so it may be in your best interest to avoid purchasing a home with problematic trees on the property.
Floors
It is normal to get so caught up in the “fun” stuff when heading out with your realtor or attending open houses. It’s easy to get so swept up by the beautiful kitchen or spacious backyard that you might overlook important features such as the floors. The floors in a home can indicate the quality of the plumbing, as homes with floors that sag or dip can be tell-tale signs of plumbing issues, as well as structural issues you may need to face down the line. Similar to having a bad roof, bad floors can end up being a huge headache for you in the future, so it is important to take note of the floors before putting an offer on a house. The best thing to do is to hire a professional flooring contractor for better results.
