What to look for when viewing a home for the first time
Today I’m going to be talking about what you as a buyer should be looking for when you first view a home. Chances are, it’s not what you think.
Ok let’s talk about what you should be looking for when you go to view a home for the very first time in person. It’s extremely likely you found whatever home you’re going to go see on the internet, maybe a search you have set up sent it to you or your agent sent it to you, but you’ve already viewed the photos, you know its in an area you like, and it hits your high level parameters like bedroom/bathroom count, etc. So generally speaking, you’re going into it knowing that you should at least be somewhat interested in the home.
Boom, now you’re in. What do you do, what do you look for, how how should you go about deciding if this house is actually THE ONE as I like to put it?
Well why don’t we actually start with things to not look for, or rather, ignore. First off, you can ignore looking for any major maintenance problems. That’s right, don’t bother trying to analyze how old the roof is, don’t question if the cracks you see on the side of the house are related to the foundation or are just cosmetic, don’t worry about if some staining is water damage or not. Unless the whole house is falling off the cliff, don’t worry about analyzing the state of the house in too much detail. Why? Two reasons.
First is, I’ll be doing that for you. I want you to be sticking to other aspects of the property, so I’ll take a look at the roof, I’ll see if the electric panel is upgraded, I’ll take a look at the condenser, see how old it might be. I’ll watch out for uneven floors, I’ll be checking for damaged areas. But two, even though I’ll be looking for all of those things, I’m not a licensed inspector. So at the end of the day the only person who can determine the state of the house is a licensed inspector trained to do a thorough job at telling you exactly what is wrong with a house and how to fix it. And there’s no point in fretting over that crack on the wall, if its cosmetic, it’s a relatively easy and cheap fix. If its structural, it’s not, and you can negotiate a credit for it or walk away from the house. But at this point in time, it’s not your job to play general inspector.
Also, don’t get too attached to anything cosmetic. I know that this might sound difficult to do, but most things in a house aren’t crazy expensive to change, and you will definitely be changing SOMETHING about the house to make it yours. Don’t like the paint color? Don’t worry about it. Don’t like the kitchen hardware? Let it go. Even carpet is pretty easy to change. So is lighting, either to add or to change fixtures. Is the backyard completely barren? Don’t worry, LA has a free tree program that can get you greenery in no time. We’re not going after little things here, we’re looking for the big picture.
Ok, so instead of all that, what SHOULD you do? I always advise my clients to be patient, listen, and feel. Move through each room slowly. Stand in the middle, and just be quiet and listen and feel. What do you hear? Street noise? Birds? The neighbors? Chickens? The breeze? Feel the space. Let the light hit you. Open up all the blinds and feel the light in the room. Do the ceilings feel low and cramped or spacious? Does the space flow nicely or feel disjointed? Is the flooring soft carpet or hardwood, how does that feel? What rooms can you see from where? Do you see greenery or street?
Then move to the next room. Again, how does it feel to move about the space? Does it feel natural or awkward? Check in with your gut. Are you getting signals that it feels like home or does it feel foreign? Close your eyes, picture your furniture. In the kitchen, picture yourself cooking. In the living room, picture yourself watching television. In the bedroom, picture where the bed might go, if the closet looks like it should hold your clothes. Outside in the backyard, breathe in and listen. Do you like city noises or do you need something more peaceful? Do you entertain, and if so, can you see a natural flow into and outside the backyard as people enjoy the party?
Are you starting to see a pattern here? We’re focusing on the bones of the house, the things you truly cannot change, the location and the general flow. And most importantly, we are focusing on feel. Most people can tell within about a minute or two after entering a home if it is the right one for them. That’s because home is an emotional, gut decision. Homes speak to us, they hit the core of our being. So instead, open yourself up to that intuition. Open yourself up to feeling space, getting in tune with flow, and visualizing if this home fits your lifestyle.
That’s the perfect way to view a house. Then, my job is to look out for major pitfalls, and, if you love a house but want to make changes, we can talk about how those could work too. Homes that work on paper may give you a cold impression when you’re there, and homes that shouldn’t work on paper have a charm that draws you in. That feeling, that’s what you’re looking for. That’s how you view a home.
And of course, that’s how you make a home viewing team! We each have our responsibilities, things we’re looking for, and combined, we can paint a full picture of whether we should make an offer on that home.
Ok there you have it! Thank you for watching, I hope you learned something about that very first home viewing and what you should be doing and looking for, and if you did be sure to like and subscribe, and if you found this valuable, I’d incredibly appreciate you sharing this video with someone that could benefit by connecting with me. It’s super simple, and on my website there’s a button to Book A Consultation that connects directly to my calendar. I almost exclusively work with referrals because you all are people I know, trust, and appreciate the service I offer, so thank you so much for referring me! And of course, if you just found this video and you like my energy and personality and think my expertise would benefit you, I’d love to work with you as well!
At Stephens Real Estate, we offer a few value adding programs for both buyers and sellers
that no one else is offering. For buyers, we put together a full marketing plan that paints you as the right buyer for your dream home. We can help recommend local lenders that will fit your financing situation, even if you’re freelance. And don’t worry about the inspections, we’ve got you covered. They’re free, all of them, no questions asked.
And If you’re looking to sell your home, we offer the ability to REMODEL NOW, and PAY WHEN YOU SELL with Zero fees, no interest, no upfront costs. Plus, we pay for all of the aspects of digital marketing from photography, drone footage, videography, 3D walkthrough and virtual open houses, social media campaign, custom website, targeted emails and more.