Even if you're a first-time home buyer, you probably have a pretty good idea of what things you need to consider when shopping for your first home. Is it in a location that you like? How big is the house, and how big is the property that it stands on? Does it have all the bedrooms, bathrooms, and other rooms that your family needs? Has the home had any recent upgrades, and does it need any improvements or repairs? These are all good questions that you should definitely get the answers to, but they don't tell the whole story. Take a look at some factors that you might not have thought to consider before, but that you definitely should take into account.
Do You Get Cell Service?
You may pull out your cell phone to snap some pictures of the property, but it may not occur to you to try making some calls while you're touring the home. However, you probably should give it a try, especially if you're one of the many people who have given up using a landline phone and rely entirely on cell phones. You don't want to discover on move-in day that you can't get a signal inside your new home.
If you've never run into the problem before, it's easy to forget that there still are dead zones in many places around the country. All it takes is a house that's located a little too far away from the nearest cell tower. A dead cell zone doesn't have to be a dealbreaker – you may decide that it's worth going back to a landline for home use, or you could invest in a wireless extender to help your cell phone reach the signal from the nearest cell tower. But it's definitely something that you need to know and take into account when making your decision.
Is There A Public School Nearby?
Nearby schools are something that most parents consider when buying a home, but if you don't have kids and don't plan to, or if your kids are already grown, it may not occur to you to ask about schools in the area. Homeschooling parents and families that use private schools may also neglect to ask this question.
However, you need to know if there's a school near the home you're considering, whether or not you plan to use it. School speed zones, bus stops, and parent drop-off and pick-up traffic can seriously impact the traffic situation in your neighborhood. If you're basing your buying decision partly on whether the home is a conveniently short drive away from your job, it's important to know if increased traffic, slower speed zones, and frequent bus stops are going to add time to your route. If you are located near enough to a school to be impacted by school traffic, you may want to see if you can locate an alternate route that lets you avoid the school traffic before you decide to buy.
What Kind Of Insurance Claims Has The Seller Made?
It's easy to think that there's no need to ask about the seller's homeowner's insurance claims. After all, if there's something structurally wrong with the house, the seller is supposed to inform you, and you'll have an inspection done to catch anything that the seller may not have known about. You may think that it won't help you to know that the seller made a claim for roof repairs last year, as long as the roof actually got repaired.
However, the homeowner's claim history can actually tell you a lot that you do need to know about the house. For one thing, it can give you an idea of how high your homeowner's insurance might be. Insurers base their rates in part on the claims that have been made at that property, so if it turns out that the seller has had several claims in the last few years, your insurance rate might be higher than it would be if they hadn't made those claims. Plus, the insurance claim record can tell you things about the property that the seller may not have to tell you. For example, if you notice that the sellers have made several claims for reimbursements after robberies or damage related to vandalism, you can conclude that the house may be located in a high crime area.
You should ask the seller for a copy of their CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) report. This is like a credit report, but for insurance claims. Only the homeowner can make the request, but they can get a free copy once a year from LexisNexis, so it shouldn't be a problem to get you a copy. A CLUE report can't give you the whole story on a property, and it shouldn't be a substitute for an inspection. However, it can be an important source of information to consider during the buying process.
A good real estate agent can help you find the answers to these questions, and other questions that you may not know you should ask about the property you're considering. Even a savvy home buyer should have an expert on their side during the house hunting process, and an experienced local real estate agent can fill that need for you. Check out a website like www.deeevans.com for more information.
