5 Things to Consider Before You Buy!


There are so many things to consider before making an offer on your Gilbert home, but all too often home buyers put the cart before the horse.  They get so caught up in how nice a home is that they forget to consider some of the most important things.  Today's quantity of impulse buyers is out of control. According to CreditCards.com we can be an impulse buyer when we are either excited, bored, angry, sad, or even intoxicated.  CreditCards.com surveyed 1,000 adult Americans and 75 percent of them admitted to making an impulse decision.  49 percent of those decisions were made due to excitement, 30 percent from being bored, 22 percent from sadness, 9 percent from anger or intoxication.  In fact the impulse to buy is not prejudice, the rich, poor, White, Black, Asian, Latino, Republican or Democrat can all be impulsive. We all have this flaw in one way or another.  The trick is making sure it doesn't happen at the wrong time and buying a home would be one of those wrong times.  Follow these 5 things before you make your offer:

  1. Check out the schools.  What School District is it in?  How are they rated?  Where are they?  Do they have a school bus service?  Are they within walking distance?  These are all necessary questions that should be considered if you have kids in school.  Even if you do not have kids, these are important things, it could affect what your home is worth in the future.
  2. Learn about the community.  Consider that when your shopping for a home, your not only buying a home, your also buying into the community.  This is such an important part of the home buying process.  Drive the community in the morning, noon, and night, this will give you an idea of how noisy or quiet the community may be.  Drive it on a weekend when people are home this is generally when a community comes alive. Talk with the neighbors and check out the local newspaper online, this can give you some good insight on what kind of community it truly is.
  3. Commuting.  For most home buyers this is at the top of their list when deciding where to buy.  With the access of online maps and GPS systems this information is right at our finger tips, file000897811811-r30however, nothing is better than a real life experience.  Take a drive to and from work at the hours you would generally leave for work.  Maybe the route your GPS suggests is too busy, or maybe there are too many stop signs, or just something that bothers you about that route.  Make sure the things you need are on your route, or at least near enough that it is not out of your way.  How many times does your spouse ask you to stop on your way home for work to grab dinner, groceries, or even the kids?  Knowing where you spend most your time will save you travel time and even more important, family time.
  4. Are there amenities?  Ask yourself, where do I spend my free time.  What do you and your family enjoy doing?  Is there a lake, golf course, dinning, shopping, hiking, biking, or fitness center nearby?  All great questions you should probably get the answers to.  No one wants to love there house only to be bored out of their mind.
  5. Are there additional expenses to owning this particular home?  Most communities have an HOA with monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or yearly fees.  Some HOA's have capital improvement fees, or additional assessment fees on top of your regular monthly fees.  Some homes have a private well where you may have additional maintenance costs.  Other homes may have a propane tank that runs the appliances, heater, or water heater.  These private utilities can sometimes have enormous costs that generally go un-noticed.  Does your home have solar panels?  Are they owned, or are they leased?  Unexpected costs are common and without the proper research it can be a costly and painful mistake.

Buying A Home Is Exciting, Don't Be Impulsive, It Could Cost You Big!

Proper representation is a must in today's fast paced real estate market, if you would like more information on your local housing market, and want experienced representation, call or visit us at www.gilbertazhomes.net!  We would be happy to help you locate your dream home!   Cheers,

The Myers
Colby & Michele
480-788-1819