Buying a Home: You Need More Than Luck
If you're buying a home in the Dallas- Fort Worth Metroplex this year, you do need a fair amount of luck to find the right house in the right neighborhood with all the features you're looking for. The real estate market is very competitive here, and housing inventory is pretty low. Demand is high for housing, and, depending on what you're looking for, you may have to compete against other buyers and/or move more quickly on making an offer than you might have expected. But more than luck, what you need to be successful in this market is information, and we're here to help!
What's better than luck? Knowing for sure.
There are a number of real estate professionals you'll come in contact with during the process of buying a home: loan officers, Realtors, home inspectors, title companies, appraisers, and possibly home professionals like pest control, foundations repair, plumbers, electricians, and roofers. All of these people can help you get the most information possible to guide you in the purchase of your home.
Your Realtor will help you find options that fit your needs, and when you find a home you like, you'll need to act quickly. You don't want to leave anything to chance or feel pressured to act without having all the information, however. And that's where you home inspector comes in. Hire an inspector your Realtor trusts and recommends. Ask your Realtor to choose the inspector they would use if they were purchasing a home. Do your own research - find an inspector with great, recent customer reviews, and one who is licensed by the State of Texas and a member of accredited professional organizations.
Your Home Inspector will give you a thorough, generalized look at all of the home's systems and features: how they're currently working, evidence of past problems, indications of future problems, and more. Most homes have at least a few problems - that's to be expected. Your Home Inspector may call attention to systems that need further investigation, and recommend that you call in other experts to evaluate potential problems. As you move forward with negotiations and your final decision about whether to purchase a home, having the knowledge of the actual state of the home can help you.
For example, if your inspector finds that the home has old, cast iron pipes, you may want to call in a plumber for an opinion on the cost of repair/replacement. Or, if your inspector finds significant foundation movement, you may want to call in a foundation repair company to give you an estimate of that work. You can then either negotiate a better price with the seller that takes these costs into account, decide you want to move on to another option, or determine that the pros of the home outweigh the cost of repair. In any case, you are armed with the knowledge of the homes needs and not shocked by a costly repair somewhere down the road.
At Green Scene Home Inspections, we are not here to talk you into or out of buying a home. We're here to give you as much information as possible, so you can make the decisions that are right for you. We understand the Dallas-Fort Worth market are have great relationships with members of the real estate community, from Realtors to Title companies and repair professionals.
