5 Must-See Pictures Before Buying a Home

Every person who shops for a new home to buy looks at the real estate listings to get an idea about what the house looks like, how big the rooms are, what kind of layout or floorplan the house has and how much painting and floor installation needs to be done before they are happy with the look. The more pictures the better when it comes to house shopping, but most of the snapshots of bedrooms or porches are not as important as you might think.

When it comes to buying a home, there are 5 main pictures that should always be seen before making a decision.

1 – Picture of the House from the Street
This not only shows you how appealing the house looks when you approach it, but can also tell you a lot about the upkeep and landscaping maintenance. Also, you can get an idea about the surrounding neighborhood from how well the house is presented.

2 – Picture of the Basement or Utility Room

While knowing the third bedroom is hot pink can give you an idea about future redecorating needs, a picture of the hot water heater or plumbing under the house can reveal a much bigger problem. Look for rust, water damage, mold or rot on wooden boards and other potential issues that may necessitate very large and expensive fixes.

3 – Picture of Both the Front and Back Yards

As you are focusing on beautiful shade trees or fussy clipped hedges that would take a lot of maintenance, also consider the slope of the land around the house. Will rain water run down the hill in the back straight into the basement? Will mowing be really difficult due to a berm out front by the street?

4 – Layout Picture and Floorplans

Unless you go to an open house armed with a tape measure and large notebook, you need some way of finding out the actual layout and measurements of all the rooms and hallways in the home. Seeing a picture of the actual floorplan can help you determine if the house has useful spaces for your family. After all, a three bedroom home may sound great if you have three older children, but if one of the bedrooms is 10 x 8 feet, you will have a hard time housing your teenage son in there.

5 – Overhead Satellite or Google Earth Type Picture

As long as you have the property's address, you can easily get access to this overhead satellite picture of the house, neighborhood and surrounding area. While recently looking at potential properties to buy in another state, I thought I had found a wonderful house with a nice yard. A Google Earth search revealed a working gravel mine within three miles or its front door. Just imagine hearing that operate all year round!

Satellite images can not only reveal serious potential headaches, but also issues that may affect your house insurance. Is there a river or large stream nearby that may put the property on a flood plane? These pictures also help you determine if shopping is conveniently nearby or if a busy industrial park will add traffic to the neighborhood.

Featured Home for Sale in College Station, TX

Sarah Miller, your RE/MAX realtor bryan-college station can help you discover a lot of great tips for making a profitable sale of your home. Call Sarah Miller at 979-255-1904 for your real estate needs in Bryan-College Station and the entire Brazos Valley!