Top Ten Questions To ask When Buying A Home:

As more home buyers are beginning to enter the market again with the interest rates dropping slightly I wanted to share some tips on questions to ask during a home tour.

With slightly more inventory coming on the market home buyers have a little more choice when it comes to just the right home.  This means buyers can take their time a little more to make sure they ask the right questions and choose the right home rather than feeling pressured to make hasty decisions as we’ve experienced in the last several years.

Before submitting an offer it’s important as a buyer to do your homework first.  I would encourage looking up the tax report to verify pertinent information as well to find out what the tax assessed value is along with what the current seller paid for the home.  Sometimes neither are relevant to what the home will actually sell for albeit informative information to know if you’re buying the home.  

Buying a home whether it being first, last, or anything in between including investment properties is a big decision.  Not only is it imperative to choose the right Realtor to help you through the process, it's also important to know as much as you can about the home prior to entering into a contract with the seller.

When you’re touring homes there are a few things I recommend:

I would suggest taking a notebook so you can take notes as you go through the homes or of course you can do it on your phone as well.   Even better might be printing out the MLS report of each home so you can make notes directly on that for each home.

Weather permitting before going inside I encourage walking around the outside of the home on all sides so you can see the front, back and sides of the home including porches, decks, windows, the roof, sidewalks, and driveway before going inside.  

Look at everything to see if there is any evidence of water issues, cracking in the foundation, chipping or peeling paint, insecure decking, debris in gutters, missing or curling shingles on the roof, etc.  Knowing how well a seller has maintained their home can tell a lot about the home before you ever walk in the front door.  

While inside the home you can look at the major components and try to find manufacture dates to give an idea of their age.  You can also look to see if there are GFI protectors in bathrooms and kitchens.

I always suggest opening kitchen and bathroom cabinets to see if there’s evidence of current or previous leaking.

Look at the bottom of toilets and bathtub/showers to see if there is evidence of leaking and/or damage as well.

Always look up to see if there are any signs of roof leaks on ceilings.

Take a trip to the attic if it’s accessible to see how things look up there!

Last but not least make sure you go in the basement whether finished or unfinished, and even those accessible from outside.  Look for any signs of active or previous water damage, this can generally be seen on floors and walls.  Also check for any structural cracks in walls of basements.  If the home has a crawl space check for the same and to see if there is a vapor barrier in place.

Here is a list of what I feel are the top ten questions I feel are important to ask before making an offer:

Are there any offers currently on the table or have there been any offers?

What recent updates and improvements have the sellers recently made?

Why are the sellers selling and how soon would they like to close?

Have your agent do a market analysis and find out what other comparable homes have sold for and ask what they feel you should offer

If the home is vacant find out how long it’s been empty

Ask what the average utilities are so you know what that expense will be

Ask what the age of the major components of the home are; roof, heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical, etc.

Ask if there has ever been any issues with water intrusion

Ask what’s most important when structuring an offer; the price, the closing date, etc

I always like to ask the seller what they’ve enjoyed most about the home and what if anything they would like to share with you as you consider making an offer

Always seek any advice from your agent as rules and regulations are different from state to state.  If we can be of support to you with buying or selling a home in Roanoke, VA, Salem, VA, Blacksburg, VA, Christiansburg, VA or all surrounding locations please reach out to us.