When it comes to purchasing a home there are some things put in place to ensure that you are purchasing a safe, quality home. Every state has different requirements on what sellers have to disclose. Even though you trust the seller to be open and honest about everything that has to do with the home they are selling, it’s always good practice to work with a Real Estate agent to help you navigate through all the potential disclosures to ensure you are purchasing a great home.
Here are some things you will want to ask about concerning the potential home. Having more information about these areas will help you determine whether the home is really good buy or are there issues you don’t want to deal with.
1. Utility Bills? The utility bills for electricity, gas, water and even the HOA may be higher or lower than would be expected for the size of the home. All utility companies will provide information for the previous year…the average for the highest and the lowest amounts the bill has been for 12 months. This will provide a good idea for overall months. It will also be a good indicator if there are potential problems as well.
2. Has there ever been water damage? Sellers are typically supposed to disclose problems with flooding, but they might not be aware of water damage in some situations. If it only happened one time and there was no major damage or they might not have noticed. You can check insurance claims on the property and for drainage issues to help reduce risk. Of course getting an home inspection will identify and cause of concern.
3. Plumbing issues? Plumbing issues should be discovered during a home inspection. Keep in mind sellers sometimes put a band-aid over something instead of fixing it correctly, so you may want to rum faucets and look for drainage problems each time you look at the home.
4. How much noise from planes/trains/traffic? Everyone is different when it comes to these types of things and how long it takes you to adjust to them. Only you can decide if you can adjust to the noise level or if it will be a problem. Try to take trips to the property at different times and see what the noise levels are inside and out. If you have worries about resale or any other types of questions your Real Estate agent will be there helping you every step of the way.
5. Noisy Neighbors? Just like the issues with traffic/planes/and trains, this is a very subjective issue. There are some people that are very bothered by noise and it may or may not be a problem for you. Just be sure to check out the home during different times of the day to get a feel for the noise level before you commit to buying. It’s always better to hear the noise levels for yourself because the seller could be overly bother by something you perceive as normal amounts of noise.
6. Roaming animals? Have your agent ask the seller about this issue. Are there deer, raccoons, stray dogs or cats? This is less likely in a big town, but can sometimes be an issue in smaller towns and suburbs. If you have a neighbor that feeds or encourages this behavior then you might want to know if you flower beds are going to be dug up.
These are just a few good questions to consider before writing an offer. The number one thing to help is having a good Real Estate agent with you every step of the way. There are many other questions you may want answered and Kammeyer Realty Group can help! Contact us at [email protected] or call me at 317-698-7109!
