While viewing professional photos of a property online is a good place to start when searching for your new home, you need to look beyond them to see the home's true potential. You need to walk through the house. You need to evaluate the physical aspects of the property. Above all, you need to use your imagination to see what your future will look like in the home. Here are five ways to look past the photos to see the potential of any home.
1. Size of the house
To see the potential of homes when looking at Port Washington real estate, you need to look at the details that cannot be changed easily. One of these details is the size of the home and property. While you may be able to add extra rooms to meet your future needs, you may prefer to avoid such a costly and time-consuming remodel, opting instead to buy a larger home upfront.
Additionally, the size of the property itself is unlikely to change. The backyard you buy will be the size of the backyard five years from now. Once you determine what size house you need, you can begin looking at properties that fit your range. Your agent can help you avoid homes you already know are too big or too small for your needs. Finally, if you can look beyond the size of the home as you are touring, you are more likely to see the potential of the home itself.
2. Have the home inspected
When choosing from Port Washington homes for sale, the last thing you want to happen is to buy a home that needs an incredible amount of repairs once you move in. While there are many home improvement projects you can tackle once you purchase your new home, you need the security of knowing the structure itself is in good condition. You need to hire a professional home inspector before putting in your offer on any home.
A home inspector will look at the house’s foundation, electrical, plumbing, roofing, and HVAC systems. The inspector will be able to tell you if there are numerous significant repairs that you need to make. If you want to make these repairs yourself, you can. However, such repairs drain time and resources from other changes you want to make to the home, forestalling them to the future.
3. Plan for your future
It is easy to get swept up in the emotions of buying a new home. You start looking at photos and attending open houses of Port Washington homes for sale and begin seeing many features you can’t wait to have in your new home.
Don’t buy a home based on what you want now. Instead, you should plan for the next several years of your life. Will your family be growing? If so, you may need a home with additional bedroom spaces. The same goes for bathrooms. Will your children be going off to college soon? Maybe you won’t need as large of a kitchen in the future. Consider any of these notable life changes before making your final purchase
4. Make home comparisons
To see the potential of a home for sale, compare it to other homes in the neighborhood. You may discover that homeowners in the neighborhood are starting to upgrade their homes. If so, you probably need to weigh the pros and cons of upgrading to keep your new home competitive in the market when you sell in the future. While you can do some of the research yourself, a professional real estate agent has access to more detailed information about homes in the neighborhood and will help you compare the home to others before you make the purchase.
5. Ignore certain flaws
It may seem counterintuitive, but to see the full potential of any home, ignore certain flaws you see in the houses you tour. Unless you custom-build your home, it is unlikely you will ever find a home that is 100% perfect as soon as you step into it. By ignoring the unimportant flaws of a lived-in home, you can better envision its potential.
First, you can ignore the paint and wallpaper choices. People choose these based on their likes and their personalities. These details can easily be changed with a bit of time and effort. A fresh coat of paint or new wallpaper selection will help transform your home into a new space (the same goes for dirty carpets and worn flooring).
Assuming the foundation is in good condition, you also can ignore a house’s landscaping. On the contrary, a lack of curb appeal can signal potential in a home. You can add the plants you want, switch up the color of your front door, and even add a small patio set to the front porch. Even if a house doesn’t have these details in place when you buy it, you can still add them in the future.
When you are ready to start looking for your dream home in Port Washington, you need to work with a professional real estate agent. Your experienced agent will help you see the potential in homes that you look at, and they can leverage their in-depth market knowledge to find the perfect home for your needs. Maggie Keats is a full-time broker in the New York area. She has built a large clientele, and her business is built on personal referrals and repeat customers. She loves helping her clients find their dream homes, finding the process rewarding for all parties involved. Reach out to Maggie Keats directly when you are ready to start searching for your new home in Port Washington.
*Header photo courtesy of Shutterstock
