2 Things to Do Before Placing an Offer on a Home
Buying a new home can often be a bit difficult and tricky for many people, typically because there are quite a few potential pitfalls that could result in you buying a house that is not ideal or suitable for you and your family. Thankfully, there are a few things that you can do before placing an offer on a home for sale that can help you avoid those pitfalls, such as the two steps listed below.
Research the Area
One of the biggest things that you should be doing before placing an offer on any home is to research the area. Now, one of the first things you are going to want to look into is the crime rate in the area, mostly because a neighborhood can look quite pleasant on the outside but still have issues with crime. Even if the area does not have issues with major crimes, research the crime rate in the area. You can do this by requesting information from the local police department or through a website that tracks all the police calls for any given area can let you know if there are issues with noise.
In addition, you will want to research the average sale price of every home in the area that has sold in recent years. This is extremely important because this will let you know if you are overpaying on the house and can help you negotiate a lower price with the owner of the home in the event that it appears that he or she is pricing their house higher than the market price in that neighborhood.
Walk Through the Home with a Neutral Third-Party
Another important thing to do before placing an offer on a home is to walk through the home with a neutral third-party. This is absolutely vital because it is not uncommon for an individual to basically fall in love with a house during their initial tour of the home due to the house having a few features that are extremely appealing to them. The reason that this can be a problem is that falling in love with a home based on a few features could lead to you overlooking some obvious problems with the home.
However, an easy way to get around this is to take a tour of the home with a neutral third-party, rather than touring the home with the individual selling the home or with your real estate agent that both have a vested interest in getting you to buy the home.
Instead, consider bringing a friend or family member to tour the house with you as they will be able to keep a sharp eye out for any problems with the home. They aren't going to let you to make a mistake and get a house that has obvious issues. In addition, they may also notice problems that you didn't even realize would be problems when you took an initial tour of the home, especially if the friend or family member is an experienced home buyer or homeowner.
Contact a real estate agent today in order to discuss what steps you should follow before placing an offer on a home in order to ensure that you do not get a home that does not meet all of your needs. Before placing an offer on a home, you will want to make sure that you research the area thoroughly and walk through the home of the neutral third-party.