Buying a home is an exciting time and a huge life event to celebrate.
It’s easy to find a home you love. The hard part is beating out the competition and securing a financial lending program that gets it done.
There’s a lot of decisions that homebuyers will make through the course of the homebuying journey.
Meanwhile, homebuyers can also get caught up in the moment, potentially sidestepping their cautious instincts.
Since buying a home is a major home investment, it’s important to not lose sight of some of the potential red flags that can pop up during the process.
Homebuyers can avoid unnecessary headaches and costs and ensure success by uncovering red flags early. Here’s how.
Go to Google
It’s done for almost everything else, so why not use the world’s most advanced search engine to learn more about your potential future home and neighborhood.
Use Google to research the home and neighborhood. A search can tell you about events that happened there and reveal a little bit about the area’s general safety track record, two key things any resident would want to know about.
A search can also uncover reports of crimes that occurred there or any other negative tidbits about the home and neighborhood you’re getting ready to make a part of your life.
Hire a reputable home inspector
A detailed home inspection is indispensable. While the market is moving fast, that’s no reason to bypass a thorough home inspection, which can reveal large amounts of intel on the home’s condition and how it will hold up.
A good home inspection will tell you about wear and tear, HVAC, electrical areas, plumbing systems and other home features that are not easy to evaluate with the naked eye.
As part of the service, a home inspection team will produce a complete reporting on the home’s health and condition so you can make decisions and plan ahead.
Review surveys
These surveys are about land. Companies use public information to delineate property boundaries. They will provide markings for the boundaries and documentation so you’re formally aware of the property’s domain.
These insights tell you about the shape and size of the property for sale and legal evidence for boundaries. This can be useful if there’s ever a dispute.
Search home title
A quick trip to the county assessor will let you search for the home title.
It’s always wise to learn about the home’s title in case there are any tax liens attached to the home. The search will also tell you about any easements or other questions about the home’s title. They’ll have to be resolved before any transaction is complete.