ARE YOU A SMART HOME BUYER OR AN EMOTIONAL ONE?

Consider properties that have been for sale for awhile – the market moves properties so quickly that buyers fall into the trap thinking that if a house has been for sale longer than normal there must be something wrong with it. Well here’s a news flash – the only thing wrong with houses that are lingering is usually the asking price. These properties offer the best deals because they allow you to negotiate with the seller rather than compete with many other buyers who want the same house.

Perform a home inspection – The phrase “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” could not be more appropriate. If the seller provides a pre-list home inspection from a reputable company, then call the inspector and discuss the inspection with him/her in detail. If the seller does not provide one then do one yourself before the date set to review offers. Do not ever waive your right to a home inspection even if you believe there is nothing wrong with the house. An example of what can go wrong; we sold a house to a buyer conditional on a home inspection. The house was immaculate so the buyer was leaning towards foregoing the home inspection. Instead, we encouraged the buyer to go through with it before finalizing the Agreement. Murphy’s Law was in full swing on inspection day delivering heavy rains. Does it surprise you that we found a very wet basement, unbeknownst even to the seller, that could have led to litigation if it had not been dealt with beforehand? In this case the seller acted honorably, took responsibility and incurred the cost to fix the problem. If there is no time to do a home inspection, before you submit your offer, you may be better off to pass on the house.

Check out who your neighbours are – one of the biggest reasons people move is they don’t get along with their neighbours. Moving is very expensive so before you buy a house, knock on a few of the neighbouring houses and ask questions. Are there tenanted properties nearby with rowdy tenants, does a hoarder live next door, does the neighbour keep the exterior neat and tidy, do they have noisy dogs, do they play loud music, are they co-operative with sharing the mutual drive? Poke around before you buy, you would be amazed what people tell you that could help you avoid making a huge mistake.

Check the noise level between semi detached homes – have you bought a semi detached house only to find out, after you move in, that you can hear a pin drop from the attached house? Not a pleasant surprise right? When you visit a semi detached property with your agent, make sure you turn down the music that is sometimes turned on to camouflage this problem. It isn’t the listing agent’s responsibility to point this out to you but your own agent’s if he/she is looking after your interest and doing their job properly.