We asked our clients what they wish they knew before they purchased their home. There were so many great responses!
Here's the list in no particular order:
1. Closets and storage space. Many people wished they had more storage.
2. The names and brand of paint colours in the home (or leftover paint cans) for touch ups. Sometimes sellers include these, and if not, it can't hurt to ask!
3. A comprehensive list of home updates and ages of big items (like roof, furnace, hot water tank...) to help with purchasing home insurance.
4. Sun exposure! Kamloops is in a valley, and some areas receive loads of sunshine, while others don't see the sun all winter. Consider all of the seasons when you're doing your home search.
5. Knowing your neighbours. We encourage our clients to find out about, and most often meet, their potential new neighbours. The neighbours are curious about the buyers, too!
6. Is the home on the sidewalk-side of the road? It's something to consider when shoveling snow in the winter, since homeowners need to keep the sidewalks snow-free.
7. The view! Sometimes, it's the view that sells the home. It depends from person to person how important having a nice view is, so if it's important to you, it's important to us!
8. How busy is the road or street? Is there a church or school nearby where your street could be used as overflow parking? A great tip we wanted to highlight was to take a drive by your potential new home during school hours and in the evening when people are usually all home. If there are many rentals on the street, parking could be tight.
9. Did you know you can ask for things like having the ducts cleaned, sprinklers blown out (in the fall) or having the home professionally cleaned? It can all be written into the contract.
10. Foliage. Sometimes, sellers are sentimentally attached to things they've planted and may plan on taking plants with them when they move. It can be helpful to ask about this before making an offer so it can be included in the contract.
11. What are all of the extra expenses? Knowing the past years' worth of electric, gas, and other utility bills can help you budget for costs on top of your mortgage.
12. Get to know your future neighbourhood! You can ask around online, as well as most communities have their own Facebook pages where you can get an idea of what your new neighbourhood may be like.
We hope you find this list helpful when searching for your future home!
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