Home shopping is an exciting, albeit potentially stressful activity. To make your experience easier (and a lot more fun) create your own checklist. Build your list electronically or scratch it out on a notebook to carry with you. The checklist will be used to compare the homes you view. It will also force you to take a hard look at the home, property, and community features that are most important to you.
Assign each area of each property a value of 1 to 10 (one being the worst, 10 being the best). Add up a total score and rank the homes in order of the highest to the lowest score.
Fill out a checklist for each home so you can compare features later. After touring so many different properties, it’s easy to confuse them. Take copious notes about each home (you might think you’ll remember exciting features and problem areas; but, it’s very easy to forget). Following are some of the features you should include in your personal checklist:
Basics
- address
- asking price
- property taxes
- estimated monthly utilities
- HOA or other assessed fees
- estimated cost of repairs and maintenance
Neighborhood Considerations
- employment opportunities
- schools
- shopping
- public transportation
- healthcare providers/facilities
- churches
- recreational facilities
- cultural opportunities
Infrastructure/Amenities
- sidewalks
- roads
- street lighting
- available utilities
- neighborhood covenants and restrictions
- environmental concerns or influences
- health/safety hazards
Home Characteristics
- age
- style
- frame
- bathrooms
- closets
- bedrooms
- heating/cooling
Home Condition
- roof
- exterior
- yard
- foundation
- windows
- fences
- security
- building code compliance
- appliances
- paint
- flooring
- insulation/weatherization
- pest control
Evaluate the home and area for other special considerations that might not apply in just any neighborhood or community. For example, you might want to compare each home’s proximity to lifts and other year-round features.
There are some considerations for certain properties that are not visible to the naked eye. With more than 30 years of experience in the home-buying and home-selling businesses, I love to share my knowledge and experience. Please call me today at 801-673-3333 if you have questions, need guidance, or just need an honest opinion about a home you are considering.
