What to Look For When Buying Your First Home

What to Look For When Buying Your First HomeNervous about buying your first home? Buying a home is a huge commitment, but it’s also very exciting, a step everyone dreams of taking at some point in their lives. For most people, nervousness just comes from being very new to the process. There’s a lot you may not know, and you can end up feeling like you’re in over your head. To help, here are a few things that you want to keep in mind as you look for homes for sale in Indianapolis residents can consider.

A Fixer-Upper May Create Instant Value
New homeowners are often concerned with fixer-uppers because they don’t know if they have time to do the work. However, making upgrades is a great way to get your money’s worth out of the home. If you are able to do the work yourself, you can save thousands of dollars, building sweat equity. You may be able to buy a home for well under its value since it needs work and doesn’t show well, but the value could skyrocket if you put in time and work to improve it.

Check Out the Schools
Looking at the homes is obviously where you want to start, but professionals warn that the schools actually have a huge impact on the value. Many homebuyers have families and children to think about. If you resell the home in the future, you don’t want families to avoid it because the schools have a bad reputation.

Consider Unused Space
Need three bedrooms and an office? Don’t assume that all three-bedroom homes are automatically out. Instead, look at unused space to see what changes you could make; you have the freedom to turn the home into anything that you want. Think bigger than just the home you’re seeing. A basement or attic that hasn’t been redone could be that perfect fourth room with a little work.

​Hire an Inspecto​r​
Don’t just glance around, assume everything looks good, and decide not to do a thorough inspection. ​A professional home inspection will look for any fundamental flaws, such as problems with the foundation​ ​- the slab or crawl space and basement walls. It will also examine the pipes, the electrical wiring, and many other “hidden” parts of the home that you’d never look at while just walking through. The inspection gives you peace of mind since you know you’re buying a good home, and it also saves you from future costs.

Find a Home that has been Loved
You always want to look for a home that was well-loved by the people who were there before you, as this often means that they cared for it the way you will care for it. They cleaned the gutters and fixed up the paint. They replaced broken doors, handrails and light fixtures. They did not cut corners when they made updates, but always used care or hired professionals. You’re going to live in the house and you can devote yourself to taking wonderful care of it, but you’re still stuck with problems if the people before you didn’t have that same mindset​.

A Carpenter Realtor(r) is well-equipped to help any first-time homeowner through the process. It may seem daunting to buy a home and know you’ve made the right choice, but Carpenter agents assist buyers and sellers every day. They’re trained and experienced in helping you navigate a difficult process​.

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