Looking for a dream home is tricky. Particularly, if you have never been through the process, you are prone to making mistakes. Buying a home is one of the biggest investments that most people make in their lifetimes so, here ten of the most common home-hunting mistakes. Keep reading to make sure that you are on the right track.
- Hire an Agent:
It is important that home is not just being seen, but it is being seen by serious home-hunters. Home-hunting without an agent is a big mistake which most of the people commit in Pakistan. As agents are the persons who have an idea about market trends, rise and fall of property prices. They have good networking in those areas where you are looking for a home. An agent can also help you to avoid costly negotiation mistakes. So, real estate agents will not only be able to provide you with access to many houses, but they will also provide you valuable local market knowledge and expertise. Hence, you must hire an agent to minimize chances of error.
- Make a list:
It is essential to make a list before you start shopping. This will serve you to save time and effort in terms of the types of properties that you will be looking up and the localities that you will be looking in. For Example, if you don’t want to buy a home with carpeting, add it in your list. Your agent will exclude all homes with carpeting from your search requirements. Similarly, if you have a demand for hardwood-like floors, your agent will look for only those houses. It’s fine to consider many types of properties at first to get a sense of your options, but try to narrow them down as you go along.
- Take your own decision:
When you go to buy a home, number of people will give you their suggestions. In some countries, Pakistan particularly, suggestions of elders, relatives and friends matter a lot. The best that you can do in this regard is to listen to all the suggestions but do as you think is best suited to you. So, even though it can be wise to get an unbiased second opinion, beware of the temptation to get too many opinions.
- Explore the house:
As you know, a home is most often one of the biggest purchases one will make. Therefore, it is very important to explore it properly to avoid a costly mistake. In order to get a real sense of a home, you must explore it in detail i.e. include by opening of closets and pantry cabinets to ensure that everything is in good condition. Look beyond the fancy sheers hanging on the windows to make sure that windows themselves are hanging straight. Check all rooms (The lounge, the reading room, the dining room, the kitchen) properly. You may also wrap up the carpet and inspect the floors and foundation.
- Not knowing what you want:
It’s important to make a wish list before you start shopping. Many times, a lot of you go to buy a home without knowing exactly what you want. This wastes a lot of time. So, do your proper research in order to come to know what your exact requirement is. For that purpose, look at your family members, your furniture, required rooms and most importantly your budget.
- Don’t fall in love at the first glance:
Does the home look amazing at first glance? If the answer is YES, still you have to look a little closer. As you are home-hunting, look carefully for gaps between the walls and new flooring, windows, outlets, roofs, and light switches. You must also note that, which material is used. The lights, appliances, and other fixtures which often look great just because they are new. They are in lower-quality and may cause serious damage sometimes.
- Tour the neighbourhood:
Pakistani society holds on good relations among neighbours (in both rural and urban areas). No doubt, there are nuclear families in the urban areas, however, relations among them are very tight. So, it can be far more peaceful to live among neighbours that like and respect each other. Good neighbours watch out for each other and their property so its best to ask from them while home-hunting. So, when you visit a home, you must save some time to tour the neighbourhood as well. Check out that, are the neighbourhood kids playing in the street or not? Do cars speed down the street where your kids will play? How the families are living there? Consider them all, otherwise you will be in trouble, when you move there.
- Find an inspector:
When you have to decide for a home, nothing is more important than the condition of the property. And the best way to confirm that you’re not investing on a wrong property, get an inspection. Don’t call your friends, cousins, uncles or any other relative, if they don’t expert in inspection. Call a real inspector. Get a real inspector who is certified through the authoritative agency. For that purpose, your real estate agent may help you to hire the right person. So, by finding an unbiased inspector you can trust is a better option.
- Don’t decide in a hurry:
If you question how long it takes to buy a home? The answer is ‘it depends’. As buying a home is a huge (or lifetime) investment, therefore don’t finalize a home quickly, home-hunting is time taking, don’t rush. Wait for even a day can make the difference between getting the house or not. In Pakistan, on average, a homebuyer can spend from a few weeks to a few months shopping for the right home, and 30 to 45 days to close the deal.
- Look at home, not decor:
If you are looking for a perfect-size home with perfect decor, you have to choose one of them. You have a clear idea that, you are falling in love with the home itself, not the home the way it’s staged. The things which are looking attractive now with current furniture, may not depict the same look with your furniture. So, focus on your own perspective and focus on what is most important to you.
Once you go through all these tactics, chances for a mistake are rare while home-hunting. Do your best when you look for a home and best of luck!!
