Because a checklist often organizes all our thoughts. When we are in the market for home buying, no doubt we have our dreams regarding what the house should be like, etc. And in the whole complicated process of home buying you can lose your head because looking at all the apartments can be a little overwhelming. Hence preparing a checklist for house hunting is a logical thing to do, so that you ensure that the house you purchase is the perfect property which meets all the criteria you have set for 'the perfect home'. So here's checklist to do it without a realtor. The details of what to look for when buying a house checklist are organized here.
Buying a House Checklist
Questions Related to the House
Here's a checklist to make sure that the house is in good condition.
- How old is the house?
- How many stories is the house?
- Does it have a wood frame, a brick frame or a wood and brick frame?
- Does it have aluminum siding?
- Is the roof condition OK?
- Is the condition of the foundation OK?
- Is the condition of the exterior of the building OK?
- How many bedrooms does it have?
- How many bathrooms does it have?
- What is the size of the garage?
- Does it have -
- oil heat?
- gas heat?
- electric heat?
- hot water heat?
- Does it have centralized air conditioning?
- What are the features available for energy conservation?
- How old is the -
- heating system?
- water heater?
- electrical wiring?
- plumbing?
- Does it have -
- a living room?
- a separate dining room?
- family room?
- kitchen eating area?
- an attic?
- laundry space?
- finished basement?
- patio?
- backyard fence?
- Does it have -
- a refrigerator?
- a stove/oven?
- garbage disposal?
- dishwasher?
- Is the home connected to the sewage system?
- Is it well landscaped?
- Does it have property boundaries?
- Are the security arrangements in place?
- Does it have building code compliance?
- Is there any space for further enlargement or expansion?
- Does it have any carpeting?
Here's a checklist to make sure that the house is in a good neighborhood.
- Is it -
- near work?
- near schools?
- near shopping complexes?
- near doctors?
- near expressways?
- near public transportation stations?
- near houses of worship?
- near airports?
- near industrial areas?
- Are their facilities for garbage collection?
- Are the streets well-lit?
- Are the sidewalks around good?
- Are the streets and alleys around the house well maintained?
- Is there a lot of nosy traffic at night?
- Are there any parks around?
- Are all the utilities installed property?
- What are the neighborhood covenants and restrictions?
A financial checklist for getting a house.
- Do you intend to purchase this house as an investment property or you intend to live here?
- How much is the house for?
- How are you going to pay for it?
- How much of the mortgage loan have you been pre-approved for?
- If you are taking a mortgage loan, what are the periodic mortgage payments?
- Can you afford the mortgage?
- Have you got a homeowner's insurance policy?
- Do you have an attorney to finalize the deal or can you take care of all the paperwork yourself?
- Do you need services for real estate appraisal to ascertain the value for your home?
- Do you need home appraisers to ensure that the property is in good condition?
