Whether you are looking at a staged home, or an empty home, here are nine essential hidden things to look for when buying a house.
Shopping for a home is so fun, especially when you get to tour them during showings or open houses. But remember, many homes for sale are decorated by professional home stagers: there are hidden things to look for when buying a house. This means that the owners have either fully moved out, and display furniture has been moved in. Or, the owners still live in the house, but they have altered the way they live to make the home more appealing to home buyers.
These are the hidden things that most sellers and real estate agents don’t want you to think of when buying a house.
After learning about all the hidden things to look for when buying a house, you are going to feel confident about your decision making process.
This post is all about hidden things to look for when buying a house.
9 Hidden Things to Look For When Buying A House that Realtors Are Trying to Hide from You
Home Buyers & Buyer’s Agents, when you walk through a home during a showing or open house, pay attention and figure out the answers. This is the correct time to see if this house is worthy of becoming home. These home buying tips are essential for great decision making.
Buyers, if your real estate agent is not guiding you through this process, or you have concerns that your agent is not working in your best interest, you should read can i fire my real estate agent – 5 essential tips before you kick your agent to the curb
1.Where would you keep the garbage can?
Weird thing to start with, I know. But hear me out. Some kitchens have built-in drawers for garbage cans, and that’s great. But if you are looking at an older home, chances are that’s not the case. Most home sellers will hide their garbage cans for showings because they don’t want people to see how annoying the best place for the garbage can is. So pay attention to where you’d put it. Will it annoy you?
2. What door would you enter most frequently when you come home?
Most real estate agents will have home buyers enter through the front door of a home for showings or open houses. But here’s the thing, if you buy this house chances are you are not always entering in from the front door. You will enter closest to where you park your car. So that’ll either be the back door, side door or entrance from your attached garage. Pay attention to the space just next to this door. If there is a mudroom, awesome. However, older homes don’t always have a mudroom. Imagine where you will put your coats, boots, kids sports gear, backpacks, baby carrier. Trust me, if you don’t think about this before you buy your home, you’ll never realize until it’s too late. Also, don’t forget to consider hauling in groceries. If you live in a cold climate, think about walking through snow and entering in the home.
3. Where will you set up an office to work from home?
Obvi, since the pandemic, this has become uber important. Make sure that wherever you choose has good cell reception, and the ability for privacy. Where will you put the desk? Where will you store files? Really think about how you will set up the space, and pay attention to where the outlets are.
4. Where will everyone sleep?
This is a pretty common discussion during showings with families. It’s important to consider how close bedrooms are from living spaces/kitchen. If you happen to have littles who need naps, or even a spouse who loves their sleep, you’ll want to make sure there is enough space to give your sleeper some peace. Trying to be quiet while cooking or cleaning is never easy.
5. Where will the vacuum go?
Whether you have a roomba, or stand up vacuum…you’ve got to find some real estate in your home to store this buddy. So where’s it going to be? If you need to charge your vacuum, pay attention to where the outlets are. If you happen to buy a home with a central vacuum system, chances are you’ll see where the current sellers store the attachments.
6. Is there enough storage? Where will you keep holiday decorations, sentimental items, camping gear, food, etc.?
Do you have a storage locker right now, and all these things are “out of sight, out of mind”? Well, you’ll need to figure out where all these random things go when you move in. Where will it be? You can most likely find space in the basement, garage or attic. And don’t forget your bike, lawnmower, snowblower. Make sure that you allot for the essential items you’ll need as a homeowner, and then you can figure out where all the extra stuff will go.
7. How will you let the dog out?
If you have a dog, think about how you will let the dog out to do its duty (or doodie). If you have a back door that opens to a fenced in yard, awesome. But if not, will you have a chain in the backyard? Maybe you’ll want to install an invisible fence? Think about how often you will do this and if it will be annoying, because this is another thing that could sneak up on you if you don’t consider it.
8. Where would the pet’s food bowls/litter box go?
If the sellers are still living in the home, and they have pets, they likely have hid any sign of having pets. Because, ew, who wants to see sloppy dog bowls or smell kitty litter. So think about where you’ll put these items once you move in. Is there a good space where they are accessible, but out of sight?
9. Is there room for your _________? (home gym, poker table, craft area…)
Do you have something super special that NEEDS to be a part of your house? Well, now is the time to figure out if there is space for it or not. If it’s a home gym, make sure that not only the equipment will fit, but also make sure it will be usable. I once had a seller cut a hole in the ceiling of his basement so that his head could fit when he was riding his Peloton bike. If it’s a game table, remember that people will need to sit down and walk around the table…is there enough room?
Why Try To Find Hidden Things to Look For When Buying A House?
These questions are essential to ask yourself, or your buyer, when considering buying a home. They are essential because once you are under contract with an accepted offer on a new home, you likely won’t have a “buyer’s remorse” contingency. When you are looking at a home that is either vacant, or staged by a home stager, you need to remember that the home is presented in a way to look attractive to you. This doesn’t mean that it will be easy to figure out how functional the home will be.
I’ve staged hundreds of homes in my career and I always suggest my seller hide unsightly items like garbage cans, litter boxes and other things. The house will always look better, it’s easier for people to move around during showings, but it’s not the best for showcasing to Buyers how they will live in a home. So this is why a home buyer or buyer’s agent should be asking these questions during a showing or open house.
- Where would you keep the garbage can?
- What door would you enter most frequently when you come home?
- Where will we set up an office to work from home?
- Where will everyone sleep?
- Where will the vacuum go?
- Is there enough storage? (think holiday decorations, camping equipment, bicycle, lawnmower, sentimental items)
- How will you let the dog out?
- Where would the pet’s food bowls/litter box go?
- Is there room for my ____________? (home gym, game table, craft area)
Buyers, if your real estate agent is not guiding you through this process, or you have concerns that your agent is not working in your best interest, you should read can i fire my real estate agent – 5 essential tips before you kick your agent to the curb
Whether you are looking at a staged home, or an empty home, here are nine essential hidden things to look for when buying a house.
Shopping for a home is so fun, especially when you get to tour them during showings or open houses. But remember, many homes for sale are decorated by professional home stagers. This means that the owners have either fully moved out, and display furniture has been moved in, Or, the owners still live in the house, but they have altered the way they live to make the home more appealing to home buyers.
These are the hidden things that most sellers and real estate agents don’t want you to think of when buying a house.
After learning about all the hidden things to look for when buying a house, you are going to feel confident about your decision making process.
This post was all about hidden things to look for when buying a house.