10 things to look for when purchasing a home | Dotloop

10 things to look for when purchasing a home

dotloop

dotloop

June 21, 2012 | comments

Buying a new home is one of the most exciting things you will ever do. After renting or living with other family members, you finally get the chance to be a homeowner. It’s a step up in life but you can’t make any big leaps of faith when making such an important purchase. It’s worth it to work with someone who uses real estate technology and even more important to keep your excitement at bay until checking out the house with the following list in mind:

1. Stucture of the home: Make sure that everything in the house looks and feels solid and well built.
2. Roof: Make sure that the roof is in good shape and doesn’t need any repairs.
3. Drainage: Is water going to drain towards the house or away from it? Keep an eye out for past water damage in the basement and elsewhere.
4. Fixtures in kitchen and bath: Turn those faucets on to see if they work, if the water pressure is good, or if they leak.
5. Electrical system: Make sure that there are enough outlets in the house for your needs and that the main circuit breaker is 100 amps or more.
6. Insulation: Look for insulation in the walls and in the attic. If the house is in an area with a cold climate, the insulation in the attic should have a thickness of at least 12 inches.
7. Heating and air conditioning: Does it have air conditioning? Check out the furnace and make sure it will heat the entire home.
8. Water heater: Check the water heater to see if it uses gas or electricity and that it has copper pipes. Heating bills with a gas heater will probably be cheaper.
9. Fireplaces: Not all homes have these but if your dream home does, be absolutely sure that they have spark arrestors in the chimney and vents to the outside.
10. Look carefully at the details of the house: Be a perfectionist and look for faults with painting, tiles, and other details.

Along with ensuring that you inspect the 10 items mentioned, see if your agent is utilizing dotloop to help simplify your home buying experience.