We are currently house-hunting - from a distance. From about 825 miles away in fact (1329 km). To put that in to perspective, Lands End to John o' Groats is only 603 miles.
Because of the sheer distance involved, we are making a list of a number of houses we like the look of on-line and when we can get over that way, we can blitz them in a couple of days and hopefully narrow our choice down to perhaps one.
I can't help chuckling when I see some listings on line. For example, either the realtor or the home owner took a crash course in home staging and decided a colourful picture of a flower would go nicely in the family bathroom. On closer inspection, the picture is propped up against either a towel or some toilet tissue and still has the corner protectors on as if it's just come from the store and is going back later for a refund!
Why do some realtors insist on taking pictures of the owner's furniture? It's not as if the orange pine sideboard against the salmon wall adds anything to its appeal.
I have always been told to depersonalise before selling a house. Some we see still have the baby portraits on the wall, the framed hockey shirts in the den, even bedrooms painted in their kid's favourite team colours. No builder's beige or contractor cream in that house.
Another is a house that does not mention it is a pet friendly home. It doesn't claim to be pet-free either, thankfully. Zooming in on one particular picture I see a large white dog fast asleep on the floor resembling something like a stuffed sheepskin rug! When it comes to animals, if you really are against having a home with an aroma of someone else's dog or cat litter tray, then inspect those pictures with a magnifying glass. The kitchen is a good giveaway, with large food bowls carelessly left on the floor, or a stray tin of cat food left on the counter top!
Another sure sign is to look at the grass and how green it is. Numerous patches of dying grass is usually an indicator of a dog in residence.
How can people really expect to get top dollar for their house when they can't even be bothered to tidy their house before the photo shoot or barely make the bed?
I've seen pictures of sinks full of washing up - an instant turn off. There are beds that look like someone may have died in it overnight and perhaps the realtor didn't notice before snapping away. Another weird one was a hot-tub in the back yard with the downspout from the guttering being diverted straight in to it. I suppose it saves on the water bills?
I love Google Street View and it gives a great insight in to the area surrounding the house.
Ah, so next door has 2 Harley Davidsons on its driveway or the house opposite looks like a likely candidate for the next Hoarding - Buried Alive show. If there is a back lane, Google may have pictures of just what dwells behind and if not to your liking, can save much time.
I prefer to see pictures of a furnished home. It gives you the scale of the room. Otherwise it can be very hard to judge whether a bedroom is a single or a double. It also helps to see what purpose the room is used for, an office, den, gym or bedroom?
Google Street View is also fantastic at showing you how busy the surrounding roads might be. I looked at one place wondering whether there was a school bus route nearby. Street View showed a school bus actually passing the house!
I would like there to be a law passed where the prospective owners were allowed to live in their future home for say a week to see what's it's really like. That way they could discover that the next door neighbours are party animals and play loud music until the early hours or that the local lads congregate at the end of your driveway every weekend for a get together and deposit all their litter in your flower pots before leaving at 2am.
Before we decide on putting in any offers, I want to see the house, take my time viewing, look inside the kettle to see how much limescale there is, flush toilets, test electrical outlets, turn on every tap to see what the pressure is like, go back in the evening and later to see how quiet or noisy the street actually is. This time of year is great for putting in offers less than the asking price as people may want to be in their new homes before the snow arrives and of course, Christmas.
I'm fussy, but I want to know that one of the biggest investments we make will be a sound one. I don't want to stress out over a neighbour's barking dog all day while the owners are at work so CAVEAT EMPTOR! Let the buyer beware and take your time, go with your gut feeling and don't be rushed.
My daughter has already chosen her dream home, it was a show home, has large bedrooms and is within walking distance of her school, oh and Starbucks of course! What more could a girl ask for?
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