Advice from those that bought a house

What did you look for when you toured a house? Like cosmetic stuff.. clean baseboards for example??

Comments

  • No stains on walls or cealings

    No smoke smell on carpets

    Clean bathroom

    If the walls are painted can the colours be covered up easily

    Does the basement have a moldy/musty smell

    Is the yard well kept (not overgrown or over cluttered)

    Is the attic in decent shape. Not spotless but organized, easy to get to Windows.

    Do all doors/windows open/close easily

    If appliances come with the house are they clean.

    Is the kitchen and bathroom big enough for a growing family



    Also if the sellers do not agree in letting a house inspector take a look at things before the paperwork is signed don't even consider the house.
  • edited February 2013
    Thanks @Mathair we are the sellers so I want to see what people look for... I have about a year out so Im getring things listed to prepare. :-)
  • When we were looking at houses one of the biggest things we looked at was floor damage, any damage to the cement and sidewalk outside, and whether the basement was finished or not.
  • Paint is not a bighie you can always use a coat of primer to cover it.
  • Kitchen was our big thing. We wanted stainless steel and granite/granite appearing countertops. We were big on the modern/updated look. Fixtures, floors, carpet in good condition. We wanted a ready to move in place that we had to make little to no changes to.
  • We paid close attention to the condition of windows, siding, and roof. Cracks in walls and ceilings, under sinks to look for signs of water damage, condition of the visible foundation and if it had a warm and inviting vibe that could be home.
  • We always looked for water damage. And what type of upgrades the house needs. Upgrading a home can get very pricey, even the small cosmetic ones.
  • To me it's important that everything is safe like the others were saying mold no water damage anywhere that way I knew there aren't leaks if there's carpet that it's in good shape and hasn't been trashed by animals or anything. I don't mind not having the crazy upgrades but just a clean safe bc if I want upgrades I wouldn't mind doing that but I do not want a "project" meaning Theres a lot that has to be fixed before we can even move in. Just get it ready on what would u want to see. But with paint most are naturally more attracted when it's just neutral that way they can picture their I the house which everything goes with neutral.
  • @excitedforoctober @char @captivated @star4221 @monkey_girl @jules Thanks for your input. It helps a great deal. :-) So now whats NOT a big deal for you in a used home??
  • Well if it was me like I said I wouldn't mind pain most will paint anyways. Weeds aren't too big of deal most will fix it. But the main thing is just focus on whatever adds to the value and the main things are taken care of then don't over stress about the rest.
  • I don't have much advice, but you could also try looking online like a realtor website to see what they recommend buyers to look for. Or maybe call a realtor and ask? That way you can get like a check list you can follow.
  • I can look past:
    *Dirty house. Cleaning crew will charge you no more than $200 for move in cleaning.
    *Paint. Only if the ceilings are not super high and if it's a couple of rooms that need to be painted. The last house I bought needed all interior walls to be painted and cost a couple thousands.

    You can pretty much look past anything if you have the time, patients, and money to fix.
  • Clear out as much of your stuff as possible. (We moved a few months ago and out house sold first day it was posted online.) Make sure your realtor takes good pictures and LOTS of pictures. Paint it walls light tan colors if u can. U would be surprised how lazy people r and how they want to move in and do nothing to the house. Paint is cheap. Replace old light fixtures w new ones if u can. They don't have to b expensive ones. People just like newer. Make sure it's clean when people look at the house. No clutter. Make sure it smells nice. Some cheap airfresheners are good.
  • Also, remove most of your family pictures. People find it easier to imagine their family there, if they aren't staring at your family.
  • Paint and cleanliness was not a big deal, it can be easily fixed :)
  • Paint u can do urself for a couple hundred about 50-75 per room depending on size and brand of paint.
  • I built new but cleaning is not really a problem try to overlap that way you can do one room at a time.
  • We just bought our house, I looked at roof age, furnace age, general condition of the attic, basement to see if had water, just general stuff like we know it needs Windows, paint and it needed carpets shampooed but overall just the big things I guess
Sign In or Register to comment.