Ask Weird Questions Before You Buy a House

Jemully Media ask questions before you buy a home

START DURING THE WALK-THROUGH

As you walk-through a property with a realtor, one of the best pieces of advice we can give is this — ask questions when buying a home. Ask whatever pops into your mind, ask questions. Get inquisitive. Yes, ask anything under the sun. If you wonder about it, then it can’t hurt to see what the sellers have to say about it. To start you off, here are a few questions to consider:

  • Ask why the seller is selling.
  • Find out if any of the furniture or appliances are included in the sale.
  • Seek to look under the rugs.
  • Inquire about looking under the sinks.
  • Is the house in a rural area? Request information about cable and internet service. Maybe it’s spotty, maybe it’s non-existent. Either way, these are just a few of potentially many things that you’d really rather know before making a decision.

Continue reading

A Homebuyer’s Final Walk-Through Checklist (Free Download!)

A Story

A recent first-time homebuyer myself, allow me a quick ax-grinding before getting to the final walk-through checklist. This past winter, my wife and I negotiated an acceptable price and list of repairs for the house we wanted. Among other things, the list included repairs to the back gate of the fenced-in backyard and a deep cleaning of the inside of the house.

The fence was not fixed, although a new piece of wood was precariously nailed on (nailed!) to make it look like it was. To my chagrin, that was good enough to fool me during the “quick once-over” misleadingly referred to as the “final walk-through.” The inside of the house wasn’t cleaned either, which was not obvious to me at the time of the walk-through, partially due to the late hour and waning daylight. The utter lack of cleanliness was instantly apparent when we began the move-in process, as the home had obviously hosted small children and pets. I love children and pets, but I did not love the many, many boogers on the walls (boogers!).

Continue reading