It’s easy to get excited about buying a home. There’s the thought of a new space with new opportunities, new neighbors, and the chance to explore schools and activities. You might think that such excitement will naturally bring discipline to ensure you do your research. Everyone knows to ask about list price, length of time on the market, taxes and utilities, and schools. But sometimes, you forget about other aspects that can help you make a better home buying decision. In order to keep you on track, here are 3 questions to ask when buying a home that sometimes get left out. As a reminder, having a real estate professional beside for the journey you can ensure you don’t miss any of them.
Questions to Ask When Buying a Home #1: How much noise is in the neighborhood? What’s the level of traffic flow?
That stunning three-bedroom charmer might just sit at the corner of a major commuter shortcut, making 8 am and 5 pm dangerous times. Or, you might find that there have been complaints about late-night music coming from all along the block.
Since you’ll probably only visit a prospective house for an hour or two, asking this question gives you a feel for what you might have to deal with at all the other times of the day.
Questions to Ask When Buying a Home #2: What’s the reason for selling, and the justification of the list price?
Your purchase should be a negotiation, so you want as much information as possible. You’d like to know why they’re selling, and how they decided on their price.
Perhaps the seller has only owned the house for a year, and is trying to make an investment gain. Or it could be an estate sale, where the owner has plenty of time to wait for the best offer.
It could be that the price is based on a tax audit, or it might be based on the last appraisal. Based on when that appraisal happened, there could have been a lot of changes since that time.
All of these might give you clues as to whether there is room for negotiation. Your real estate professional will help you interpret the answers to get your best deal.
Questions to Ask When Buying a Home #3: Are there any seller’s disclosures?
Legally, sellers are required to list any problems with the house. If problems aren’t listed on a disclosure, they can be found during an inspection, but that’s risky. Waiting for the inspection may mean you’ve already committed to a house with problems.
If you ask up-front about disclosures, you may avoid falling in love with the wrong house. That will save you time, money, and, importantly, heartache as you have to start your search for your dream home all over again.
Rely on the Sarah Bernard Realty Team to Have Your Back
The Sarah Bernard team has years of experience helping buyers remember to ask questions just like these, and many more! For more tips, guides, and questions to ask of your real estate professional, download our free Buyer’s Guide. Then, contact us to start your best home buying experience today!