If you live in a planned community, you’re assured of a safe environment, with easy access to nature. You’re also a short drive away from educational facilities, shopping and retail centers, and recreational places. You know you’ve hit the jackpot with your real estate investment. You found a place that’s suitable for raising a family or the active and exciting lifestyle of a career-driven person who’s blissfully unattached and unburdened. For instance, consider yourself lucky if you have a property in well-maintained locations, such as Ashbury Armstrong Creek. The place provides you with everything you need and more.
If you’re in the market for a new home, safety, comfort, and accessibility of everything you need ought to be your main considerations. Even if you don’t land a piece of land on a planned community, for reasons including insufficient funds or others, do not fret. You’re sure to find a house that’s most suited to your needs and financial situation. In any house hunting decision, make sure you stay away from the following red flags.
People leaving the neighborhood
If people are flocking to a neighborhood, that means the area is quite promising. The opposite scenario means the area is like a sinking ship and everyone’s trying to get off. When you explore housing options, don’t zero in exclusively on the house. Consider the neighborhood, too. See if current residents are vacating their properties. They surely have a good reason why they have chosen to do so. Whatever those reasons are, they should be enough to tell you the property is a red flag.
A deal that’s too good to be true
All house hunters want to get the best deal price-wise. While that’s an understandable motivation, do not let it be the end-all and be-all of your strategy. The worst-case scenario is you end up with a property that later reveals a problem that will require you to spend considerable money. So, be wary of properties listed way cheaper than what’s normal for a given area — unless you’re looking for a fixer-upper and you’re amenable to assume the financial burden of improving the property.
Places with a violent history
You do not want to live in a house where a violent crime happened in the past. Not only will this backstory affect the level of comfort you’ll feel in that house, but it will also be detrimental to your selling prospects should you decide to list the property in the future. The same rule applies to the neighborhood. Stay away from areas associated with, for example, a mass shooting incident.
Mediocre maintenance
Check the house for obvious signs of wear and tear. For example, gutters with wild plants growing in them or a roof inundated with debris. These telltale signs speak of negligence. If the past owners overlooked the maintenance of the most obvious parts of the house, assume there are even greater problems hidden somewhere.
Scented candles
People selling a house, including real estate agents, will carry out all strategies at their disposal to enter into a contract with you. Those include hosting a house tour complete with scented candles all over the house, presumably for ambiance. Those scented candles might be trying to cover up telltale smells of mold or pest infestation, among other possibilities.
Litigation issues
You do not want to unwittingly enter into a property contract for a house with ongoing litigation issues. One day someone else might claim that they are the rightful owner of the house you purchased. This situation will be stressful. Research is your friend. Do that before signing a contract.
Protracted listing
If a house has been listed in the market for a long time, chances are there’s something wrong with it. Spare yourself the trouble and look elsewhere. One probable reason is inaccurate photos. The actual house looks different from the photos online.
Lack of home inspections
Ask the seller for recent certificates from home inspection authorities. This hack will let you in on how habitable the property is.
The past year made house hunting a bit difficult. You had to adhere to safety protocols and stay indoors. You probably even had to postpone signing a contract, given how you couldn’t exhaust all the options available to you. Thankfully, it’s way safer now. You can finally be aggressive with your search. You can visit real estate listings in person without the risk of compromising your health.
You might feel too excited about the process. Do not let your excitement cloud your judgment, though. Make sure to be a discerning buyer. Be wary of the red flags mentioned in this list. Sign a contract you know you won’t regret.
