Questions you MUST Ask Before You Buy a Home

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Slope Style Realty
Questions you MUST Ask Before You Buy a Home
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Youre ready to own the house of your dreams. But
before you make an offer, it pays to ask some key
questions. If youre armed with the right
information, it can help you feel more confident
that youre making the right move on the right
house. When you buy a house without asking
yourself the right questions, you sometimes end
up making costly mistakes. As you prepare to
buy a home, here are some questions to
ask before you make an offer.
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WILL THE WINDOWS NEED TO BE REPLACED?
Did you know that new windows can set you back
upwards of 10,000..15,000, or more? How often
do you walk into a house and inspect the windows?
Windows are boring. If anything, we swoon over
the shape of them, the position of them, the
scenery outside of them, but rarely do we
consider the condition of the windows. But, have
you ever had to deal with poor windows? Windows
that dont stay shut? Windows that are so drafty
youve got to apply ugly plastic over them to
keep the cold out? Windows are costly and
theyre one of the most costly home repairs and
upgrades that youll ever pay for. Get a house
with solid windows that will keep you warm in the
winter and cool in the summer.
WHATS THE POSITION AND QUALITY OF THE TREES
AROUND THIS HOUSE?
In a bad storm, can those trees fall on your new
house? Do any of them look rotted? Do any of them
need to be cut down? Do those trees block the
sunrise? What about the sunset? Be cognizant of
where trees are in relation to the house you want
to buy. Consider the fact that if you want to
remove a tree, the cost is usually anywhere from
400 1,500 or more to have the stump removed!
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DO YOU SEE ANY SIGNS OF PESTS?
You need to be vigilant about pests when youre
looking for a place. Look for mouse turds. Ask
the sellers for more information about it. Look
inside cabinets, and moist places where pests
like to hide. Heckpull the refrigerator or stove
out, and make sure theres nothing there!
Thankfully, we didnt see roaches, but we did
find centipedes after moving in. 
ARE THERE SIDEWALKS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD?
Maybe you were too excited about the awesome
house, but somehow, you didnt even realize that
there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood. Kids
cant just go outside and ride bikes or scooters
they might get hit by a car! If youve got kids,
or nieces and nephews that come to visit, get a
house with some sidewalks. Even if you have no
children, for your own safety when walking or
jogging, buy a home in a neighborhood where there
are sidewalks. 
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IS THE HOUSE TOO OUT-DATED?
No house is going to be perfectly upgraded,
especially if its a steal in price. But maybe
youre mesmerized by the beauty of the bay
window, or the lovely wood floors, or how nice
the house could be after youve gotten your DIY
hands on it. Sometimes a homes potential is its
selling feature, along with the price and the
promise of its beauty. But you must take a hard
look at how outdated the house really is. How
much will it cost to upgrade your new home? How
much time will be involved if you attempt some
DIY projects yourself? Are you being realistic
regarding what you can accomplish, in time and
budget? If you have kids, consider if youll have
enough time away from the kids to get these
projects done. Otherwise, you may end up years
later with rooms still donning the hideous
wallpaper because there just isnt enough time to
get the house done.
DOES THE HOUSE HAVE ANY WEIRD ODORS?
There shouldnt be any odors that try to make the
house smell good. You should smell very little.
Homes that leave an odor means that you will be
dealing with the odor when you move in, or it may
be covering up other smells you dont even
realize are there until you move in. Sometimes
this can be a costly problem to clear up,
depending on its cause.
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DOES THE GROUND SLOPE AWAY FROM THE HOUSE?
Does the house sit at the top or bottom of a
hill? Where does the water flow around the house?
Grading is probably one of the few things people
check when they go house-hunting. Dont make this
mistake! Grading that is poor and allows rain and
water to sit at the homes foundation is a recipe
for flooding and water damage. Grading isnt
cheap to fix. Expect to pay upwards of 2,500 to
have a professional landscaper or grading
professional to regrade the entire perimeter of
your home. 
WHAT DO THE CARS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD LOOK LIKE?
Take a look around you. If you see broken-down
cars, expect to find a broken-down neighborhood.
The cars dont have to be BMWs and Audis. But
look for late model cars that look well-cared
for. The quality of the cars, more so than
the brand, that people drive in the neighborhood,
really can tell you about the quality of a
neighborhood.
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WHAT ARE THE NEIGHBORS LIKE?
HOW MUCH ARE THE UTILITIES FOR THAT HOUSE?
Go up and knock on the doors of the nearby
neighbors and tell them youre planning to make
an offer on the house next door or across the
street. See what they say. Are they nice? Are
they gossiping about the other neighbors that are
moving out? Do they seem sane? What does their
yard look like? Be sure to talk to all the
neighbors. Do they have something negative to say
about certain neighbors? Choose your neighbors
wisely!
Your usage will be different, depending on your
family size and usage. There are tons of expenses
you dont even realize up front that youll need
to pay when you move into a new house, but if you
can nail down the utilities, youre one step
closer to making a wise decision. Some of these
things your inspector will look for and note, but
thats after youve already put an offer on a
house. Why get to that point? Why not note these
things beforehand so youre not wasting money on
an inspection for a house that you may end up not
buying anyhow? Be wise. Look for the right
things, from the beginning.
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