The first showing
- Basic requirements
- Is it within the right distance to work and friends?
- Does it have enough bedrooms and bathrooms?
- How is the overall environment – park, place for a cup of coffee?
- Is there enough storage space?
- Is it safe?
- Is it in the right school district?
- Additional requirements
- Is there a garden or deck?
- Separate laundry room?
- Crawl space? Convertible into a usable space?
- Attached garage?
- Fireplace?
- What’s the condition of the house? – applicances, roof, foundation, walls, mechanicals, wiring?
It meets your needs and wants, and you like the design and feel of it as a home go to the second showing.
The second showing
- Overall impression of the exterior
- Are the lines of the house straight?
- Does the roof sag?
- Is the paint peeling?
- Is the aluminum siding dented, dirty, or in good shape?
- Is the sidewalk cracked around the house?
- Does it appear to pitch in toward the house?
- Roof
- Are the shingles curling or lifting?
- How old the roof is
- A roof should last around 15 – 20 years
- Windows and door frames
- Storm windows?
- Caulk dried out and pulled away?
- Can you feel the air blowing in?
- Are the frames square?
- Overall impression of the interior
- Wood floors creak when you walk on them?
- Are they pitched in any one direction?
- Are the stairs shaky?
- Is the kitchen or bathroom linoleum or tile floor peeling or bubbled?
- Are there discolored patches on the walls or ceiling?
- Are there other signs of leak?
- Is the plaster cracked?
- Is the paint or wallpaper peeling?
- Are the walls and ceiling straight?
- Do doors, cupboards, and drawers open easily?
- Attic or crawl space
- Is there insulation?
- Are their air leak?
- Plumbing and electricity
- Turn on all the faucets in the sinks, showers and bathtubs, flush the toilets
- Is everything working?
- Do they drain well?
- How is the water pressure?
- Does the water have a funny smell>
- Does the home use city or well water?
- Do the lights seem to work?
- Check the fuse box or circuit breaker?
- Enough electrical outlets?
- Connected with extension cords?
- Enough cable or Ethernet jacks?
- Basement
- Are there cracks on the wall or foundation?
- Smell musty, stale or damp?
- Mechanicals
- How old are the hot water heater and furnace system?
- Is there an air-condition system?
- Heating, electricity or water bills?
- Pests
- Termites, cockroaches, mice?
Sit on the furniture and try to imagine living in the home!
Look around and think about where you would put your furniture, ask yourself the following question:
- How would you feel about coming home to this house after a hard day’s work?
- Where would you relax?
- Can you see yourself cooking in the kitchen?
- Will your armoire fit into the living room?
- Is the bedroom quiet enough for sleeping?
- Open up the windows and listen to the sounds of the neighborhood?
- Are there noisy wind chimes?
- Children? Dogs?
- Airplanes?
- Do you feel relaxed in the house?
The 3rd showing if needed
Advertisement
