There is a lot to look at when buying a home. Trying to navigate it all is overwhelming. For a first time home buyers, not knowing what to look for can leave you feeling completely lost. Hiring an experienced agent, who knows what to look for and listens to you, is crucial. That way you can look at the floorpan and finishes and the agent can notice some of the other details. Many home buyers tend to only looking at aesthetic home appeal and layout, and they ofter overlook some things that are crucial to consider when buying a home. Here is a guideline on some things to consider and look for, when buying a home. These are also good questions to ask your agent.

Reminder: I am not an Inspector, I can just give you my knowledge and experience that I have learned over the years. As always when deciding to buy a home you always want to have a home inspection done by a qualified professional.

LOCATION

Here is a list of things to think about when considering location.

-Do you need to be close to work and/or daycare?

-Do you want to be close to other family?

-Do you need to maintain residency in a certain school district?

-OR Does it not matter and you’re just looking for the biggest bang for your buck?

CURB APPEAL

-Do you want your home to be in a cul-de-sac? On a Corner? Facing a certain direction?

-Is the home on top of a hill or bottom? (This can affect drainage, and is important to consider when we have basements here in Missouri). A structural engineer can also give you more insight on the homes foundation and maintains involved for upkeep.

-Does the front yard have trees? Are they close to the home or far away? While trees are beautiful and provide shade, tree roots can sometimes cause plumbing or foundation issues. They are important to consider when in the inspection period. You may want to have a structural engineer come out, add a sewer scope inspection, or negotiate a tree to be cut down if issues are being cause.

-How does the driveway look? What kind of driveway is it? (asphalt, concrete, rock, dirt, etc.) Is their maintenance involved?

-Do you like the front yard? If not, is it something you could enjoy designing? Is the front yard large? Do you have a lawn mower, or would you need to pay someone to mow? If so how much would that cost?

-What does the roof look like? The gutters? How is the roof draining? You want the gutters to drain away from the homes foundation. During the inspection period the inspector will inspect the roof for you. So you don’t have to be a roof expert but depending on roof type you might want to look up what type of maintenance is involved.

-What does the backyard look like? Do you have certain activities that are done in the back? Do you need a fence for pets? What kind of maintenance is involved?

-What type of material is used on the outside? What type of maintenance is involved with that type of material? (Example: Brick doesn’t need much work. Wood Siding, if not maintained and sealed can get wood rot over time).

LAYOUT OF HOME

-Does the home have the number of bedroom and bathrooms you need? Ask yourself is this a want or a need?

-Does it matter where the laundry room is located?

-How does the layout of the home affect your everyday activities? Does the layout make everyday activities easy or harder? Maybe none of this matters, but that is for you to decide.

APPLIANCES/ROOF

-What is the age of the HVAC Systems and Water heater? (I always check the seller disclosure and send it to you, which typically has these answers for you). Have they been recently replaced or are they at the end of their lifespan and need to be budgeted in the future? But If not, in my home buyers and sellers packet you will find a QR code for additional resources where you can look up HVAC systems age. Or click the Link How old is my HVAC System.

-How old is the roof? Does it have a transferrable warranty or it’s newer?

-Is the fridge, washer and dryer staying with the home? Or do you need to get/bring your own?

INSIDE OF HOME

-How does this home flow? What does the house make you feel like?

-What does the kitchen look like? Does it have everything you need?

-Do you need a basement? What type of foundation do you have and what is the maintenance involve?

-Does the home need to be painted?

-What type of flooring do you have? (Carpet, wood floors, tile, LVP, etc)

-What are the condition of the windows? Are they newer or older? What are they made out of?

-Do you have gas, electric, or both?

-Are you on a septic system? Septic systems typically need to be pumped. If you have a lagoon, there are also certain levels of upkeep.

-Check ceilings for staining. Sometimes it can be old stains, and other times it could be a new or preexisting condition. Which might be disclosed on sellers disclosure or we can ask the seller.

See there is a lot. This post is mean to just give you a guideline of things that you might feel like you want to look into before buying a home. Every person is different. We all have our own experiences and abilities. Some of this stuff might be something important to you that you want to consider. Others, you might find things that don’t worry you at all. But also if you didn’t think about some of these things I hope they can help you get a clearer idea of what you want. I hope this post helps shed some light on things to look out for, so when the time comes, you feel a little more prepared on what to look out for as you are touring homes.

Reminder, if you have no idea about any of this, THAT’S ok. A home inspector can shed some light and look into things for you and are excellent at explaining. If you have additional questions about the home buying process, or you are ready to take the next step forward, you can contact me below.

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