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Top Ten Things For Your Home Search Checklist

For home buyers, the slowing real estate market offers good news: not only are prices dropping, but with the number of houses on the market rising, so you can take your time, and learn a great deal about the one you want to bid on. You can start by checking out properties online: view homes for sale and find out what homes are selling for by clicking here.
You don’t have to be a home repair expert to be sure you won’t have to unexpectedly pour thousands into a home you just purchased. Here are nine things to check – they are the big dollar items in a home – so you know exactly what you’re bidding on. The goal is to avoid unexpectedly shelling out thousands of dollars to make repairs soon after you move into your new home.

Checklist

1. Kitchen

The most expensive room in the house to remodel is the kitchen. The average kitchen remodel will set you back about $20,000. You’ll want to carefully examine the following.

Cabinets: painted or stained, solid wood or particle board? Know what you’re buying. Inexpensive cabinets can easily cost $4,000 for a small kitchen, and that’s not including installation.
Counters: laminate or solid surface? Laminates tend to stain and chip easily. Solid surface counters are more durable. But do you like the color?
Floor: tile, laminate, or wood? Laminate is the least expensive and is most commonly found it kitchens. Tile is the most durable, but it is cold on your feet and can chip or crack. Wood can create a warm, inviting look, but water can damage it – certainly a consideration if you have children.
Appliances: Many distressed homes on the market are missing appliances or have appliances in very poor condistion. Check that the kitchen has a range, oven, microwave and dishwasher and besure to evaluate their condition. The refrigerator and washer/dryer are considered personal property and may not be inlcuded in the sale. If the home has these appliances, make sure to specify in your offer that they are to be incuded.
2. Bathroom

The second most expensive room in the house to remodel is the bathroom. An average bathroom remodel can easily cost $10,000, and it can be quite disruptive for you and your family.

In addition to checking for leaks or cracks in the toilet, tub, and sink, you’ll want to check to see if the pipes are leaking. A good way to do that is to look in the access panel behind the tub, and to carefully look at the ceiling below the bathroom. Second floor piping repairs can be especially expensive.

3. Air Conditioning

Central air conditioning units can be costly to repair. They commonly cost several thousand dollars to replace. Most homes in Arizona have a heat pump that supplies both air conditioning and heat. Most units are located on theground so you can do a vuisual check to see if the unit looks like it’s indecent shape. A rusted unit suggests that unit is old and might need to be replaced soon.

If the home has gas, check to see if the heat pump is a gas unit. This can save significantly on your energy bill.

Older homes may have wasll or window units, and sometimes and evaporative cooling system. Evap units can lower your bill in the months preceding the high temperature summer months, but can lead to additional repair costs. They are often older and in poor cndition. Wall or window units are much less costly to replace, but they are more expensive to operate. Additionally, if left in place year round they can often cause water damage that can lead to mold, which can be hazardous to your health. Be sure to examine these units and the area surrounding them.

Your best bet for efficient air conditioning is a unit with a SEER rating of at least 13.

4. Roof

Most homes in Arizona have tile roofs with an underlayment. Beleive it or not, it’s the underlayment that protects your roof from leaks! The tile protects the underlayment from the Arizona sun. A well-installed tile roof should last 20-25 years. If the underlayment starts to age, replacing it can costs thousands of dollars.

Asphalft roofs properly installed, roofs can last 10 to 15 years here in Arizona. Adding a second layer of roofing is not a very expensive job (a few thousand dollars). Stripping off one or two layers of roofing before adding a new layer can be very costly (easily twice the cost of simply adding a layer). You can visually check the condition of the roof from the ground by looking for cracked, curling, or missing shingles.

Make sure your roof has at least 2 years of remaining life.

5. Windows

Nothing is more annoying than struggling with a hard-to-open window. Newer double-paned windows do add to the value of a home, for their ease of operation, ease of cleaning, and energy efficiency.

The cost of new double-paned glass windows begins at about $300 installed for an average-sized, double-hung unit, so the cost of new windows can easily add up to several thousand dollars in a home.

6. Basement

A growing number of homes in Arizona have basements, but becuase they are not common, many homeowners are not sure what to look for. Be sure to check carefully for water marks and other signs of a leaky basement. The basement should have some sort of sump pump system to deal with leaks and floods. The basement should have an egress access, such as a window with a stairwell.

7. Insulation

With energy prices remaining high, a well-insulated house can help keep you warm in the cooler months, and cooler in the warmer months. Not only is it important to have at least a foot of insulation in the ceiling, insulating the walls will also help reduce energy costs. Adding insulation to the attic can cost about $1,000. Blowing it into the walls adds several thousand dollars to that cost.

The best way to verify a homes evergy efficielncey is to contact the power company, APS or SRP, and ask them what the recent power bills were. That should give you some indication of the homes energ efficiency.

8. Driveway and Sidewalks

It is costly to repair driveways and sidewalks, also called “hardscape.” Look carefully for cracks and sunken areas – they can end up being trouble down the line.

9. Pools and Spas

If you are lucky enough to have a pool or spa in your new home, be sure to check the condition of the pump equipment. Is it rusty? Is there evidence of leaks? Look at the pool itself. Is the plaster or Pebbletec coating in good condition? Are there surface tiles missing or damaged? Is the coping around the pool cracked or chipped? These can lead to costly repairs down the line.

10. Neighborhood/Homeowners Associations

Most newer neighborhoods in the Metro Phoenix are have a Homeowner’s Assocociation, or HOA. The HOA charges a monthly fee and in return, they maintain the common areas and police the neighbors to make sure they are adhering to the CC&R’s or rules of the neighborhood. They mght also provide amenities such as community pools, parks and other recreational facilities, and sometimes the fee covers utilities such as cable or trash service.

Be sure to check if the home is in an HOA and if so, what the monthly fees cost and what they cover. You will receive a copy of the CC&R’s during escrow. Make sure you know what the rules are and that you can agree to abide by them.

Home Inspectors

Now you know what to look for so you won’t have unpleasant and costly surprises when you move into your new home. It’s also important to work with a highly qualified real-estate agent and equally important to hire a quality home inspector.

A quality home inspector will provide you with a detailed home report that might help you know more about the physical condition of the home than the current owner. This detailed report will cover all parts of the home, from the roof to basement floor. Not all home inspectors are created equal – be sure to hire the best one in your area.

What if the House Needs Work?

What happens if you fall in love with a house that needs work? nYour real estate agent will negotiate a lower price – or insist that the current homeowner make quality repairs prior to you finalizing your offer. In fact, even when purchasing a home As-Is, some repairs may be performed.

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