Questions to Ask When Buying a House


Everyone, sooner or later, has to settle in one or the other place. The reasons that may prompt this move may differ from an individual to other. However, process of buying a house is not an easy one, and it gets blown out of proportion when one starts looking for a house to buy for his family. There are so many angles to cover and questions to ask before buying a new house. In the beginning, these questions are directed at finding needs of the buyer and then the house.

Buying a House for the First Time

Following are a few questions that can reveal some vital information about yourself and whether you are ready for home buying in the near future or not.
  • Is my current income source dependable?
  • Have I been holding a steady job for the last 3-5 years? Will it help me in getting enough home mortgage for the house?
  • What pattern of behavior my bill paying record shows?
  • What is my loan history? How, well, am I managing my long-term debts?
  • How am I going to pay the down payment?
  • Can I handle the responsibility of paying monthly mortgage and additional costs, without pinching myself too much?
  • Are you going to start a family in the near future? Will the house be big enough for the little one, say for next 10 years?
Finding answers to these questions in the checklist is important before applying yourself to the other aspect of the task in hand.

General Questions Regarding New Property

Now, it is time to ask a few questions about your needs, answering which may help you in figuring out what kind of house you want and steps for buying a house to follow.
  • What type of house you need, and how big it should be?
  • Which area of the city you would like to buy house in? Have a few options ready, so you can scout them and arrive at the most comfortable choice.
  • What is the level of noise in the area, you have liked, during the day or nighttime?
  • What goes on in the houses or properties, next to the house you would like to live in? Are you comfortable with it?
  • Is there too much vehicular traffic in the area?
  • How long ago was the house built? What condition is it in? Are there any wear and tears, hidden under the new coat of paint that the present owner has applied to spruce it up?
  • What kind of foundation does the house have? Raised, or slab foundation has their own benefits and drawbacks.
  • How far back the electrical system of the house was inspected and upgraded? Whether certain parts of the house are insulated.
  • Are you ready to pay to get the house inspected for its worthiness?
  • One of the important questions is, why, such an excellent property is still, in the market? Was it in escrow and the deal fell out? What is the reason?
  • Was it the buyer, who couldn't come with required funds, or was it the owner who was blamed?
  • How long the house is on the market for sale? It is very important to find the answer to these questions, as it can affect the cost of the house drastically.
  • If the house is on the market for only a month, then the owner won't be flexible on the closing cost of the house, unless, he is facing some financial difficulties of his own
  • If you already have children, then, issues such as, "How far is the school district?", the crime scene or the presence of gangs in the neighborhood must be dealt with.
  • Are there any additional costs, such as association fees, tagged on to the cost of the house?
  • How much the property tax amounts to?
  • In a well established neighborhood there are certain issues such as zoning and easement. Do you know, how these issues can affect you? Zoning is applicable to residential living and easements on the property you are interested in, gives the third party the right of use.
  • One of the main questions for a house with a pool is, "What measures are there to stop any unauthorized person from accessing the pool? If the pool looks fairly new, then asking whether it follows the guidelines set by the local authorities.
If you think, by reading this article, you have mastered all of them, then, let me warn you. Every house is like a person, and has its own personality. There is something called, 'Love at first sight!' Sometime it happens to you when you give half a glance to a house. Similar to each and every person, it has its own plus and minus points. If you know them in advance, you can weigh them and judge whether you want to own it or not. It is a very sound tactic which every first time home buyers must use, especially when, according to you, have found a perfect house.

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