Buying a Home: The Overlooked Details

There’s a lot to buying a home. Finding the house that is right for you, getting financing, organizing the move – the list goes on and on. But, what if you think you find the right home, move in, and realize you overlooked some important things? Know what to look out for with the following list of the things home buyer’s often overlook.

• Easements – An easement lets a third party use part of your property. This is a potential problem that most people don’t even consider when buying a home. Imagine that you have a wonderful new home with a great backyard – then the neighborhood association informs you that they have the right to build a walking path through part of your yard to access the local greenbelt. That’s great for the neighborhood, but not so good for you. Before buying a home, be sure to look into any easements on the property.

• Traffic noise – When your real estate agent takes you to look at a home on Sunday afternoon, it will probably be very quiet. But come 5 o’clock on a weekday, it may be a different story. If you are considering buying a specific home, drive by it at various times throughout the week to be sure that there is not too much traffic near it. When you walk through the home, listen carefully to any noise from nearby commuter routes.

• Schools – Even if children are just a possibility for your future, you still need to consider schools when buying a home. Find out not only about the elementary school, but also the middle school and high school. Do these schools have good reputations? Will you want to send your children there? Even if you do not have children, the quality of the schools can affect the resale value of your home.

• Signs of water damage – You’ve always dreamed of a home with a swimming pool, just not in the basement. Be sure to check for water damage, especially if the home has a basement, and also check near the foundation.

• Cell phone coverage – You buy a home, move in, and excitedly try to call your friends and family to share the moment with you. Only you then realize that your cell phone does not have coverage in your new house. With so many people relying more and more on their cell phones today, it can be costly to overlook this when buying a home. Be sure your cell phone works in any house that you are considering buying.

• Outlet number and placement – Many homes don’t have a quite enough outlets for today’s electronic needs, or else the outlets just aren’t placed in very convenient locations. Pay attention to this during the process of buying a home. Are you going to have to hire an electrician to add more outlets if you buy this particular home?

• The television – The family room or great room is almost always where you will put the TV. However, those rooms do not always have the best layout. Will your TV fit in the room, or are you going to have to invest in a new setup to make it work? Maybe your only choice is to hang a new plasma TV over the fireplace (not necessarily a bad option). But, you want to know this before you make an offer on a house, not while you are setting up the furniture in your new home.

• Potential neighbor issues - When walking through a particular home with your real estate agent, take note if the neighbor’s dog doesn’t stop barking the entire time you are looking at the house. Or if there is an abundance of cars parked next door, including on the front lawn. Look out for any potential issues with neighbors in any home that you are thinking about buying. Good fences make good neighbors, but sometimes you can’t quite build a fence high enough. If you notice what could become a major problem, it may be better to find another house.

There is a lot to keep in mind when buying a home. Just don’t forget the little details so that you don’t overlook something you may end up regretting.