Useful tips to buy a new home without surprises.

In the center or in the suburbs, in a condominium or independent, there are many aspects to consider when deciding to buy a house. The first steps are decisive to minimize any unforeseen events, considering that buying a house means not only investing a significant part of the savings accumulated over time, but also committing a significant portion of future earnings for the payment of mortgage payments. It is therefore essential to avoid trivial errors in the choice of property, because we could pay the consequences for a long time.

Here are some useful tips when venturing into the search for a new home.

Reflect on the characteristics that must have your ideal home

Whatever your preferences are, before making an investment as important as buying a house it is right to think carefully about the features you want for your ideal home and make a list that faithfully reflects your needs and tastes, from the most impactful aspects, such as the size, the residential type (apartment, detached house, townhouse, etc.) and the area, to aspects that seem less important, such as the arrangement of rooms and spaces or sun exposure, but that in reality can make the difference in concluding a completely satisfactory purchase.

Gather information about the area and the neighborhood.

Safety, proximity to services, schools, care and hospitals are fundamental aspects that affect the sense of comfort in the home and the quality of life. It is therefore good to inform yourself about these aspects when deciding to buy a house.
Think about how important it is for you to live close to your workplace or, vice versa, whether the area is well served by public transport or you have to drive. Is the area particularly noisy? Are there any parks or green spaces nearby? Finally, if in a few years time you want to resell the property or rent it out, how much profit could you make? Is this an area with a high rate of redevelopment?

Choose an up-to-date and reliable real estate portal for an initial market screening.

Before starting to visit houses, it can be very useful, in the research phase, to use a good real estate portal, which has detailed listings sheets, videos and virtual tours and, above all, is reliable.
So you can avoid wasting time visiting homes that are not right for you.

Monitor market trends and estimate your budget

Knowing the market trend means knowing if it is a good time or not to buy a house. We live in a time of economic uncertainty and – although the values of the real estate market have proven to be solid, at least for the moment – there have been some fluctuations in prices, especially in certain areas. Many real estate portals provide users with tools that show the price trends over time for each type of residential property. Carefully define your budget and evaluate your financing options so that you don’t end up making an ill-advised, reckless or overly expensive purchase.

During the visit check every aspect of the house

When visiting a house do not consider only the aesthetic aspect, the area or the price, but make sure that everything is in working order, from the windows to the plumbing system, from the heating system to the electrical system. Also check the walls, the presence of any stains of mold or moisture can reveal problems with insulation or leaks. Don’t forget to perform this check also in the cellars, boxes and attics.
Before concluding the visit of the house remember to also ask for all the documentation regarding the property. Whatever is not clear to you, don’t be afraid to ask more questions.

Rely on a good professional

We all know that the house of property is an asset of great value, emotional as well as economic, certainly one of the most challenging purchases that you have to do in life. We have seen that there are many factors to take into account when you want to buy a property, it is advisable, therefore, to rely on a professional. A real estate agent, in fact, offers an advisory service on legal matters, on the documents necessary for the purchase and sale and helps you to disentangle yourself from a sea of laws and provisions, avoiding the risk of incurring in incautious purchases and / or administrative sanctions for irregularities in the fulfillment of many legal obligations provided for real estate transactions. Not to mention that an agent who is familiar with the real estate market will help you evaluate the property at the right market price and can give you useful advice on any renovations.