Home Buyer Tip: Be On the Lookout for These Red Flags

Home Buyer Tip: Be On the Lookout for These Red Flags

We love sharing information!  This Home Buyer Tip: Be One the Lookout for these red flags.  When you tour a home, it’s your opportunity to get a feel for the home and whether it’s one you would consider buying.

But it’s important not to get caught up in the cosmetic details. In order to properly evaluate the home on your first visit, you need to keep your eyes open for potential issues with the property.  Of course every buyers will be using a professional home inspector once they are under contract, but when you are touring a home, just get in the habit of looking out for red flags.

But what, exactly, should you be looking for? A recent article from realtor.com outlined the red flags buyers should be on the lookout for when touring a home, including:

• Too much scent. If you walk into a home and you’re immediately overwhelmed with the scent of air freshener or scented candles, the owners and/or agent could be using the scent to mask something that smells less pleasant. The point is, when you tour a home, you want it to smell nice. But if it smells too nice, it could be an attempt at a cover up a potential problem.
• Signs the home hasn’t been well-maintained. If the property’s lawn is overgrown, the faucet is leaking, and every other lightbulb seems to be burned out, it could be a red flag that the owners haven’t kept up with routine property maintenance. These details could cause major issues in the future.
• Window issues. When you’re touring a home, make sure to pull back the curtains and open the windows. If the window sticks or doesn’t open easily, it’s a red flag that there could be issues with the foundation or how the windows were installed. It could be simple window balancer parts, or other issues that need to be addressed.  Window replacements can be expensive.
• Roof Condition & Age. Roof age is extremely important for any home buyer.  Your insurance rates and even insurance options are directly related to the age of the roof and current condition. Make sure your agent finds out the age of the roof.

The Takeaway:

Bottom line? A house tour is your opportunity to identify any potential red flags with a property. So it’s important to know what to look for—and to keep your eyes open during the tour.