You might want to be a little more subtle than this.
Yes, the internet is wonderful. But you can’t do everything from your laptop while watching How I Met Your Mother reruns.
Here are things you can only learn by getting up and going for a drive-by (or walk-by in town).
What Can You Learn From a Drive-By?
It’s easy to be so wrapped up in the features of a house that you miss other things that are just as important to your future enjoyment.
Here’s what I’d want to learn by doing several visits at different times of the day.
1. How long is the commute to work?
Sure, on a Saturday afternoon while you were excitedly checking out the place the drive didn’t seem that far. But what’s it like when everyone else in the area is going to work? How long will it take you to find a break in the traffic so you can turn out of your driveway?
There’s only one way to find out. Do practiced commutes during morning and evening rush hours. Then imagine what it would be like day after day, year after year.
2. What’s waiting for you around the next breeze?
On a cold day, the air was crisp and fresh. You could just see yourself out barbecuing on the deck once summer arrived.
Oh, did someone forget to mention that a dairy farm borders the back of your property? Well, you’ll always have a nearby source of manure for your garden. And flies. And a 5 a.m. rooster wake up call.
3. Who else uses your road?
What other vehicles do you notice on the street in front of the house you want to buy? Is there a mob of training bicyclists every other day that makes your squirrel-chasing dog insane? Are you on the direct route to the county dump and hear (and smell) heavy garbage trucks all day long? Or maybe you’re lucky and your road just serves as the local drag strip for teenagers heading off to high school.
4. How will you handle emergencies?
Is it easy to get from your job to your child’s school and then to take her home? What about if your car breaks down—will you find yourself stranded somewhere on the route that feels unsafe? And while you’re waiting for your car to be fixed, is it convenient for you to carpool with someone or take a bus?
5. What critters will you meet on the road?
Awwww, don’t the deer look cute?
They don’t look nearly as cute when they’re standing in the road and you’re hurtling toward them at 60 miles per hour.
6. What’s going on late at night on the weekends?
If you’re ready to make an offer after seeing a house one time, you may never see the neighbors. Do you think it’s worth it to stop by on a Saturday night to see if they like settling in early with a movie? Or are they the local meth supplies for four counties?
7. What’s the weather like?
You might laugh but in mountainous areas, weather can change quickly and be entirely different over a short distance.
I’ve known several buyers to find houses in a distant town where houses are much less expensive. I wonder if they know yet that this town falls on the other side of a snow band that will bring them more days of yucky weather than we see here in the city?
8. Is it easy to do errands?
Yep, you noticed there’s a grocery store just ten minutes away. But does it sell items you want to buy and can you afford it?
If you find yourself going back to your old neighborhood to do your shopping even after you move away, you might be sorry you ever left.
9. Do you see yourself enjoying the activities of others in the neighborhood?
What do you see people doing on a nice weekend afternoon? Is everyone locked up indoors? Do you see gardeners? People working on their cars? Is everyone meticulously grooming their lawn so that if you get a little lax you’re worried about waking up with a dandelion head in the bed beside you?
No, I’m not saying you should only live around people who do the same things as you. But if you buy a house in a close-knit neighborhood where everyone belongs to the same bowling league while you’re allergic to rented shoes, you might find yourself a little lonely.
10. Will it feel good to pull up to this home day after day and feel pleased and proud that you own it?
I’ve sat with buyers trying to talk themselves into buying a house they just knew was a great value. Unfortunately, they also felt overwhelming dread whenever they pulled into the driveway.
Sure, a three bedroom house with two baths and a well-manicured lawn listed at a bargain price might have great potential for reselling at a profit someday. But if all you want (and need) is a modest two bedroom condo with no yard work, no wonder you’re not happy when you pull up in front of a house.
Yes, it’s a frequent refrain at Hands on Home Buyer. Say it with me, folks: “Money isn’t everything.” And paying attention to the way you feel when you pull up in front of a house (after the initial excitement of the first visit) can keep you from making a big mistake or encourage you that you’ve found the right place.
Why you can’t rely on anyone else for this information.
Sometimes, prospective buyers will ask me if I think a particular neighborhood is safe. I always tell them to check it out for themselves.
Why? Well, I lived next to a Philadelphia crack house for a decade and never once felt unsafe in my neighborhood. Although, I will admit, I felt mildly apprehensive waking up to the sound of firecrackers at 3:00 a.m. (which is what automatic weapons firing at your house sound like).
So “bad” neighborhoods don’t faze me. But drop me off in the middle of a Wal-Mart and you’ll see the sweat start running while my heart palpitates at 100 beats per minute.
We’re all different. And we have to see for ourselves if a house we’re thinking of buying is the right house.
So take good notes when you attend a showing. But use your own time before and after that showing to learn everything you need to know about the house that you won’t find on a listing sheet.
[Photo from Flickr.]
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Tags: buying a house, checking out the neighborhood, choosing a house, drive-by, real estate
