A Dozen Things Home Buyers Should Do... But Most Don't.
@ 2001-2003 by Chris Bradford
mrmarketeer@...

1. Ride the Neighborhood in the Early Evening: By doing this you
will see the people who live in the area and how they live. You
will see the condition of the cars, and if any conditions exist
(loitering, loud music, etc...) which you may find objectionable.
Do this more than once, and be sure to include Friday and
Saturday nights.

2. Get a Home Inspection: Many home purchasers bypass this step
because it will cost them a couple hundred dollars. However, a
couple hundred dollars up front will let you know exactly what
you are buying and reveal any problems you might not have noticed
on your walkthrough. Real Estate Appraisers are not Home
Inspectors. Appraisers make only a casual inspection of the
property and are not trained to identify any problems other than
the obvious. Do not rely on relatives who are contractors. If
they are wrong, they probably won't have Errors and Omissions
Insurance for you to file against. Get a professional Home
Inspector.

3. Visit the Local Police Department: Police Departments know the
crime in an area better than anyone. Many will even print you a
report of the crime history of a neighborhood. Once you buy a
house, you are stuck with the neighborhood wether you like it or
not. While you are at the Police Department, if you have kids,
ask for a crime report on the school your child will be
attending.

4. Check the Sexual Offender Register: Do you want to live next
do to a child molester or rapist? Few of us do. The local
Sheriff's Department will have a list of all sexual offenders
living in the area.

5. Check with the Local Road Department: Do you want to move into
a house and later discover there are plans to run a freeway
through your living room the next year, or there are changes
planned that will turn your nice quiet cul-de-sac into a
thoroughfare?

6. Check with the Local Zoning Board: The woods next door may be
beautiful, but they may not appear so beautiful when you find out
the land is zoned for a strip club, saw mill, convenience store,
or apartments. Most cities and counties keep a wall map you can
look at and tell in a few minutes if there are any allowed land
uses you would find objectionable.

7. Obtain a Utility Cost History for the House: Most utility
companies will print out a history of the utility costs for the
property. High utility costs can be the result of an underground
water leak, a malfunctioning furnace or air conditioner unit, or
lack of proper insulation, among many other causes. None of these
are cheap to fix.

8. Talk to the Neighbors Before You Sign the Contract: Often,
neighbors will know more about the house than anyone besides the
previous owner. They will also know about the neighborhood. Tell
them you are interested in purchasing the house, and find out
what they know. This also gives you a chance to determine if you
will like your neighbors and their lifestyles.

9. Research the Former Uses of the Land and the Adjoining Land:
Was there an old gas station down the road at one time? Was there
a factory nearby years ago? Was there a town dump around the
corner back in the 1930's? All of this is important. Soil and
water contamination from a property a mile away can affect your
health and the resale value of your property. The Environmental
Protection Agency publishes a list of hazardous sites. You may be
surprised at how many are located in your area.

10. Add to the contract that the Seller will furnish to you for
your review all plans, specifications, surveys, warranties,
appraisals, or other information he has in his possession
regarding the property within a specified number of days of
signing the contract. Additionally, the contract should state
that, upon purchasing the house, these documents become your
property. You may find this information very valuable.

11. Count the Vacant Houses: A large number of vacant houses in a
neighborhood may indicate that something is happening in the
neighborhood that is undesirable. There is always some reason for
vacancies. Often, it is just the normal market functioning as it
should. But, when vacancies are excessive, it could be that the
local economy has turned down, the foreclosure rate is high, or
something more sinister is happening like gang problems in the
neighborhood. If you find a lot of vacancies you can often use
this information to negotiate a better price on the house you are
purchasing.

12. Count the For Rent and For Sale Signs: Do this for the same
reason you count the vacancies. Additionally, a high number of
rentals in a neighborhood indicate that the neighborhood is less
stable. Remember, the residents of a neighborhood makes the
neighborhood. Most renters are great people (most people are
renters), but because of the high turnover in rentals, the odds
of you having a bad neighbor during your term of ownership are
increased significantly over what it would be with homeowners as
neighbors.

There are all kinds of hidden problems you may not find about
until it is too late, unless, of course, you do your homework.
The key is information. You can not have too much. Question
anyone who might be familiar with the area or the property. Real
estate agents often know very little about the house or the
neighborhood. Sellers will usually keep their mouths shut and
reveal no more than what they legally are required to reveal. It
is up to you to do your homework.

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Brande and Chris Bradford are active participants in a home based
business opportunity and are the publishers of GREAT HEIGHTS, a
monthly newsletter focused on home based business issues.
To subscribe to their newsletter, send a blank e-mail to:
Great-Heights-Subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit:
http://www.brandebradford.com

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