Once you’ve found the prefab home you think you want to buy, there are a few factors you need to consider before you make an official offer on that home. Getting excited because you think you’ve found the perfect home is normal, but don’t let it cloud your eyes to problems which might show up later. Here are a few tips to help you avoid walking into a trap.
You know you like the house you’ve found, but if you have only been there at one time of the day you don’t really know what you are getting into. Come back two or three times at different times of the day if possible. You never know what you might find that could cause future problems.
Inspect copies of the seller’s utility bills from different seasons of the year. Find out if the house costs too much to heat and/or cool before you’re locked into buying it and paying those future bills. Also be sure to check the seller’s property disclosure forms to make sure there have been no foundation water problems which may reoccur.
Do a search for old news items about the neighborhood to find out if there have been crime problems in the past. In addition, walk around and talk with a few of the neighbors to see how they like the neighborhood. Make sure there isn’t some problem you should be aware of making people want to move out of the neighborhood. There are some problems the sellers are required to tell you about, but there are many they are allowed to leave out.
Find out if there is a homeowner’s association for the neighborhood and how active or over active they are. Having a homeowner’s association helps protect the property values in the neighborhood, but you need to make sure that any future plans you have (such as putting up a fence, or a garage, or doghouse, or a basketball goal, etc.) are not prohibited by the rules.
Don’t hesitate to ask ANY questions which occur to you. In the excitement of the process, many people tend to let small concerns slide without asking questions. This is not the time for that. Once you close the transaction, you are stuck with it, problems and all. Asking a lot of questions may make you seem like a pest to the seller, but better to be a pest than to be stuck with problems later.
The time to check and double check for problems is before you are locked into a contract to buy a home. Take the time to check everything out thoroughly before signing an official offer on a home.
