Finally coming to a point where you are buying a house is an occasion that surely deserves celebrating. Congratulations, you made it this far. This is something we all desire during almost all our life, so enjoy your moment and explore all the possibilities and make sure to know all about real estate, since this market can be tricky. But, as with many other things, you don’t simply stroll down the lane and buy the first one you see. Even when you go shoe shopping, you will try out different ones until you find the perfect pair. The same goes for cars and clothes, or pretty much anything for that matter.
Making a rational, informed choice is, knowing all about the taxes, of course, paramount and everyone tends to do so. The same goes in this case. There are tell-tale signs when it comes to homes that can give you valuable information about the state of your new home. And while these can mostly be negative signs, you can always turn that frown upside down and take advantage of each one of them. So, let us start from the top, shall we?
1. Check the roof and attic.
When buying a home there is more you should know than just picking the right sofa for your perfect new house. Starting from the top is also something to keep in mind even when redecorating, but that’s another story. Roofs and attics can hide or mask valuable information about the house’s overall condition. Here you should be looking for signs of mold and any water damage. A single loose roof tile can be a cause of this. A simple thing like this goes to show you how the previous tenants took care of their home. Water can creep into the walls, and from there it’s very hard or next to impossible to get rid of mildew. And this is without going into future subsequent damage from mold. Any traces of the before mentioned can be your bargaining chip to lower the price or a red flag to keep an eye out.
2. Ventilation and insulation.
If the kitchen doesn’t have a ventilating system to drive all the cooking smells to the outside, then you can be sure that they are embedded in the walls. Or will be in your drapes, clothing, and furniture. Badly maintained kitchens are home to many hidden and nasty surprises. Behind appliances (or below them), in the nooks and crannies and other hard-to-reach places, you can find a lot of molds from many failed cleaning attempts (or burst pipes), spilled grease, or similar stuff that previous tenants just didn’t want to bother cleaning, etc.
Pretty much, gross stuff left for you to pick up the tab. Insulation is also a key factor while you are looking around. These keep your future house warm during the colder days and nice and cold during the blistering heat. Pretty much all homes are nowadays insulated, but it doesn’t hurt to check. Your peace of mind doesn’t have a price tag. Also, check for areas around the windows and doors, as these are often overlooked.
3. Unwanted guests.
While it’s perfectly normal to plan your moving-in party, (and many subsequent ones after that), what you don’t want is unwanted guests and freeloaders. Your home, your rules, and while you will be paying the bills, it’s you who gets a say in who stays. And a bunch of cockroaches, spiders, termites, fleas, etc. are on nobody’s guest lists. These creepy little buggers can easily sneak up on you while you are dazzled by the looks of your new home.
Even if you do notice them, don’t panic because you can turn this to your advantage. First off, you now have one more bargaining chip when it comes to reducing the pricing of the house. Second, cheap and reliable pest control in Sydney is more than available with a single phone call. Best of all is that you get to pocket the difference in this so it’s a win-win situation for you.
4. Accept that there will be follow-up work.
Have you ever heard that someone bought their house and didn’t remodel or redecorate it even a little? Yeap didn’t think so, but this is completely normal, and it’s just the way these things go. Again, it is all about using things to your advantage. If you see that the facade is a bit worn out or starts to chip, you can negotiate a lower price. Remember, this is your dream home, something you’ve been waiting for whole your life, so it is normal you want to redesign it to match your lifesyle.
Then when you eventually do paint over, you can consider the entire endeavor cheaper by factoring in the difference. The same applies to any other aspects like doors, windows, interior repainting, etc. You have a personal game plan and a vision for your ideal home. All you have to do in this stage is to stack the deck to your advantage.
You can never have too much information when it comes to these things. Knowing is half the battle and since you already know that you are buying a home, these tips and tricks can provide you with the much-needed edge in the upcoming negotiations. House prices are not set in stone. However, what is set in stone is the fact that you will be a homeowner. We wish you all the luck in finding your perfect, dream house.