5 House-Hunting Tips to Avoid Embarrassing Facepalm Moments

There is nothing more exciting than shopping for a house except for when you move into it.

Nothing describes the thrill of unloading the last box and sitting back to say that the house is officially yours.

You can, however, get caught up in all the excitement and you might make some silly mistakes.

There is absolutely no reason to rush when it comes to your dream home and you should be avoiding anything that might sabotage the sale.

Here are a few tips to consider to avoid those facepalm moments:

“The house is perfect online – let’s make an offer ASAP!“

What! Buying a house before seeing it?!

That is a big no-no when it comes to the real estate rule book.

Online photos are only there to tease you into organizing a physical viewing of the home.

What you need to remember is that photos can easily be doctored into looking amazing. The right effects can be used to cover the cracks in the wall or the mold in the attic.

You also need your other senses to know exactly what you’re purchasing. There could be a busy highway nearby, for example.

Tour the place and the neighborhood before taking the plunge.

“This is the perfect house and this agent is available immediately“

It might be convenient, but is it in your best interests? The answer is probably no.

The real estate agent that comes with an open house most likely represents the seller which means they’ll work in their best interest instead of yours.

You might compromise your position by bragging about the amount you were pre-approved for and the amount you actually want to offer. Choose an agent who will work with you and who will ensure that your needs are met.

“An online home-value estimator should do the trick“

Sorry, but no. This is the fastest way out but it is not always the best way to move forward.

Google might spit out a few websites that can give you an estimation within a few seconds, but this is all based on the algorithm. Can it poke around in the basement? Can it look around the rooms with a flashlight in all the nooks and crannies? Of course not.

Home valuation is both art and science and the only way you will get a proper estimation is by contacting an experienced real estate agent.

“School feeding areas don’t bother me – I don’t have kids!“

School feeding areas should always be on the list of things to worry about when you are buying a house.

You might not have kids right now but no one knows what will happen in the future.

A future buyer might have kids which will put your house in a prime position if it is close to a school.

Houses in school areas appreciate faster over time because people want to live near good schools. This increases the value of the neighborhood as a whole as well.

“I am not interested in a house if it doesn’t tick all the boxes“

Yes, your list is important and you should definitely make it, but you need to know when to be stubborn about certain things and when to be open-minded about others.

Prioritize your list and separate the must-haves from the will-dos.

If you are adamant about living in a house with a huge kitchen but the kitchen has granite countertops and you wanted marble, don’t dismiss it.

You can always go out and replace the countertops but you won’t always find a house with a kitchen in the size you want.