If you’re in the market for buying a home, you may be overwhelmed by all of the options you have and the decisions you have to make.
If you’re in the market for buying a home, you may be overwhelmed by all of the options you have and the decisions you have to make. You are not alone! Almost everyone that sets out to look for a house to buy, faces these issues.
If you are looking to buy a brand new home, you may think the process will be easier. However, new homes can be just a troublesome as old ones. Because they haven’t been tested by years of use, they can have potential problems that go unseen prior to purchase. This can be especially true if the builder used shoddy materials or methods. Hiring a house inspector before you buy a new home is one way to guard against expensive surprises.
While hiring an inspector is very important before you purchase a home, you may waste time and money by unnecessarily hiring one for a home that turns out to have noticeable issues. For instance, if you end up buying the home that was inspected, you will have spent your money well. On the other hand, if you do not purchase the home because the inspector found major issues, you may have been able to spot some of these things yourself and have saved yourself the hassle and cost!
What to Look for When Buying a House
If you do a little leg work upfront, you may be able to answer some of these questions yourself:
- The Roof – is it old or new? Are there shingles missing or look like it wasn’t applied properly?
- Structure – step back and look at the house. Are the walls flat and plumb? On the inside, do any walls bow or lean? What about the floor – does it flex if you jump in the middle of a room, or does is feel solid?
- Water Control – is there any water damage, inside or outside? Does the ground slope away from the home? Will the homes gutters and drains carry rain water away from it effectively?
- Kitchen & Bath – do all of the fixtures work? Is the water pressure strong when you turn on the tap or flush the toilet? Have the appliances been well taken care of?
- Furnace & Air Conditioner – are these relatively new? Find out what the average utility bills are for the home, if they are more costly, maybe the systems are not efficient as they could be.
- Details – Check the windows, are they in good condition? Is there quality in the workmanship of the moldings, paint, tiling and hardware?
What you are able to determine on your own may be able to save you time and money.
How to Get Pre Approved for a Mortgage
Even before you find your perfect St. Louis home, you can have the confidence of a “Cash Buyer” by getting pre approved for financing!
Our TBD Mortgage Approval relieves much of the anxiety surrounding buying a house. My team will go over an entire set of “To Be Determined” loan documents with you before you even start your search for the perfect home. We will be able to process and underwrite your entire loan file with a property address of “To Be Determined”.
Contact Better Rate Mortgage today at (314) 361-9979 or fill out our online contact form to get started!
