Top 5 Tips to Consider When Purchasing a Home

Buying a home is a big decision and making sure you haven't overlooked something major before signing on the dotted line can be  overwhelming to say the least.

Most home buyers have a hard time really looking at the home itself. Rather, they tend to focus in on  cosmetic issues like a bright green wall, maintenance issues needing attention or worse spend more time looking  at the seller's furniture or pictures on the wall rather than the space itself.  

Some things are easier to change than others. Paint, carpet, and minor maintenance issues shouldn't be the biggest of concerns. Here are 5 things I like to remind my home buyers when shopping for a home.

Top 5 Things to Look for When Purchasing a Home 

1. Location - This is a big one. You can easily change the color of a house or change the carpet but you can't pick up & move the house. You will want to consider the neighbors. Is there a two story home overlooking your backyard? Does the home back up to a street with traffic noise? Is the home close to schools? What about parks or shopping centers? I have a great resource to see how many grocery stores, restaurants, or financial services are near a potential home, click here.

2. Layout  or space of the house -  Again, you can change paint colors and carpet easier than you can knock down walls or rearrange a home's layout. Adding granite counter tops to the kitchen is usually easier than changing the location of the laundry room. If you are rearranging rooms or knocking down multiple walls in order to be happy with the home, it may not be the right home for you.

If it's a first home, does the space allow you room to grow? Does the home have enough garage space? Homes in the desert don't come with a lot of storage so if you have two cars to park in the garage, have you considered where the bikes, lawn mowers, and Christmas decorations will go?

3. Flooring - A home that has a lot of tile already in place is usually more desirable to home buyers in the desert than a house that has a lot of carpet. But if you want to add in wood floors, the carpet may be more desirable than the tile as tile can be difficult and time consuming to break up. If it's a larger home, a lot of change to the existing floor could be a costly adventure.

4. Exposure - Some home buyers don't think about the exposure of the home at all but it can play a big part in several ways. Here in the desert, full time home owners may prefer a north or east facing back yard because the home will stay cooler in the summer months when the temperature is 110 degrees. However, if it's a snowbird looking to buy, their preference may be a south or west facing back yard so they have more sun during the winter when they are utilizing the home. Home buyers more concerned with their monthly utility bill will want a cooler orientation.

6. Homeowners Association - The Coachella Valley has a lot of  neighborhoods that are governed by a homeowners association. Depending on the buyer, this can be a good thing or it can be a bad thing. Do you have a work truck or trailer? Do you have extra toys like dirt bikes or a boat? You will want to make sure the covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R's) allow you to park those vehicles without an issue. HOA's usually have pet rules as well and some govern how many pets you can have. HOA's may also have rules about renting or leasing your property. These are all things your Realtor will be able to help provide answers to.

Working with a good Realtor should help put you at ease. A good Realtor will walk you through many of the questions or concerns you have.  

What's important to you? If you are looking to buy a home in the Coachella Valley, I'd like to answer your questions and help you find your dream home.