Saturday, February 5, 2011

Questions To Ask When Viewing Prospective Vanier Homes

Purchasing a Vanier home can be a daunting and stressful experience. Before putting pen on paper for a down payment, here are several important questions you should be asking.

Questions To Ask

Hear are some common questions you must always ask when you intend to buy real estate, though you should add your own questions and make your own list as well. As everyone will have their own needs and requirements when it comes to buying a home, you should create your own personal list of questions that you can ask your Vanier real estate agent. Remember, you are different from others and may have your own taste when it comes to owning a home.

1. Do not hurry into making any decisions. The very first question you should ask is about what you want. What is the kind of house you prefer? Do you want a big house? What kind of facilities nearby would you like to have? If you are preparing to have a family in a couple of years, will the house be big enough for your children? You should create you own list and have some persistence. If you are fickle-minded, you could regret your purchase decision if you do not feel comfortable in your own Vanier home later.

1. The second question you should be asking is the type of neighbourhood you want to reside in. Make a shortlist. This way you can find out if the price range within the area will fit your budget or if the homes offered for sale fit your requirements. Again, you do not want to end up buying a home you could end up regretting.

2. Do not hurry into making any decisions. The very first question you should ask is about what you want. What is the kind of house you prefer? Do you want a big house? What kind of facilities nearby would you like to have? If you are preparing to have a family in a couple of years, will the house be big enough for your children? You should create you own list and have some persistence. If you are fickle-minded, you could regret your purchase decision if you do not feel comfortable in your own home later.

3. When you start viewing the homes for sale in Vanier, you should ask about the period of time the home has been up for sale. This way, you can negotiate the price if  the house has been on the market for quite awhile. An owner that is keen to sell his house will be more open to negotiating a deal if the house has been put up for sale for quite a while without having found a buyer.

4. What is the age of the house and how is the condition of the home? Take note that most sellers spice up their home with some refurbishing work when they intend to sell their home so you should look out for signs of damage. To inspect for hidden damage you should hire a home inspector to check the house for you to ensure there is nothing wrong with it. It would be disastrous to buy a house with structural damage.

5. You should also find out if the home has been in escrow before and if yes, why did the sale not go through? Did the prospective buyer have issues with his finance or was there something amiss about the house?

6. Are there any additional fees besides the price of the house? Check to see if you will incur any extra costs, for example association fees, when you purchase it.

7. If you have school-age children or are planning a family, you should check out the nearby schools in the Vanier neighbourhood. What kinds of schools are there and are they good schools? Also, check the crime rate statistics in the neighbourhood. Ask your agent for more information.

8. How much is the property tax for the home? Find out early to avoid getting an unwelcome surprise when the property tax bill arrives in the mail. Many home owners make the mistake of not checking and end up paying hefty property tax bills they could avoid.

9. Is the home easily accessible? Find out the route to get to your home if you are coming back from work or if you are out shopping. Is there only one way to get to the house or are there several routes you can take to arrive safely home? How long will it take for you to get to work everyday? This is really an important but often overlooked consideration when buying a new home.

10. Is the neighbourhood noisy? What can be worse than waking up to noisy neighbours or having a busy road in front of your Vanier property? If you are really keen to buy a certain house, try to drive by the area on a weekday, a weekend, and in the mornings and evenings. Is the place serene and quiet or is it a busy neighbourhood? Another point to think about is whether your prospective home will share a wall with someone else. Try to drop by when your potential neighbours are at home to find out if they are a noisy bunch. Nothing is more valuable than having good neighbors when living in your own home.

These are a few of the many questions you should be asking before you decide to buy a Vanier home. Hopefully, the questions listed above can kick start a series of questions you need to ask when viewing properties you intend to purchase.

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