What to Look for When Buying a House

In this presentation, Kristi McNeilly explains several features of houses to pay extra special attention to when looking for a new home. This is just the tip of the ice berg, but check this out for a nice starting point.

1. Buying a house can be
a very stressful process.

2. There are a million things running
through your mind when you are
checking out a potential new
home, so it is easy to miss things.

3. There are external factors to pay attention
to, such as school district, local amenities,
and the overall feel of the neighborhood,
but there are also plenty of internal,
structural components you want to inspect.

4. Here are a just a few
things to pay extra
attention to:

5. Kitchen

6. The kitchen is the most expensive
area in the house to remodel, so to
save money, make sure that the
kitchen fits into your style of living.

7. A kitchen renovation can easily
cost $20,000, so it’s definitely
worth your time to inspect the
kitchen thoroughly.

8. Check out the:

9. Appliances: New appliances will
be more efficient and cost less, in
terms of utilities and also repairs.

10. Cabinets: Are the cabinets hard
wood or particle board? Painted or
stained? Cheaper materials will
require more maintenance.

11. Floors: Similar to the cabinets,
hard wood floors will be longer
lasting than laminate or linoleum.

12. Tiles are the longest lasting
and easiest to clean, but
are cold to the touch.

13. Make sure the floor
matches your lifestyle.

14. Windows

15. There are few things more annoying than
a window that refuses to open or shut!
You want your windows to be easy to
open, easy to clean and energy efficient.

16. Double-paned make a
home more desirable for
those reasons.

17. They are, however,
more expensive.

18. Basement

19. A leaky basement can be
a unrelenting source of
stress and frustration.

20. Check for water marks on
the walls and inquire about
past floods and leaks.

21. Many homes that are prone to leaking
or flooding are equipped with a
drainage system, so if looks like there
has been floods, inquiry about that.

22. These are just a few things to keep
you eyes pealed for when
checking out a potential new
home.