Page 48 - Busienss Council of Westchster - Relocation & Moving Guide 2020

REAL ESTATE
TIPS FOR BUYERS
Expert advice from real estate and home inspection professionals
Buying a home can be the biggest investment you make in your lifetime. Before you take on a hefty mortgage, learn what you should be looking for when shopping for your new digs.
1. Location, Location, Location “It’s the one thing that can’t be changed,” says Lou Budetti, owner of ERA Insite Realty Services, with offices in Pleasantville, Bronxville, Yonkers, and White Plains. “Walls can be moved, kitch- ens can be updated, carpeting and floor- ing can be changed, but the house can’t be moved. Make sure the location works for you, in terms of proximity to job or fam- ily, the school district and neighborhood
you want to be in.”
2. Check Your Surroundings When shopping for a home, ask your- self, “What is going on around the home? Is there new building taking place?” Budetti asks. “Depending on the devel- opment that’s going on, it could have either a positive or negative impact on short-term and long-term value. So it’s important to look at not just the home
itself, but what’s around it.”
3. Bargain Hunting
Mary Stetson of Mamaroneck-based
Stetson Real Estate says you can get more for your money if the home has cer- tain issues. “Give some thought to what you could live with and grab a bargain,” Stetson says. Some of those issues may
include: busy road, noise, flood zone, dated interior, quirky or bad layout, structural issues, major renovation required, a less than desirable school district, high taxes (greater than 2.5% of the market price).
4. Move-In Ready
On the flip side, Stetson says if you find
your dream home, go for it. “Go ahead, pay a premium for a new or perfectly redone home. It’s worth it.”
5. Fall In Love, But Be Willing to Compromise
Joseph Rand of New York and New Jersey-based Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty says, “Always remember
that buying your home is like marrying your spouse. You should fall in love, but recognize that you’ll never love every- thing. Every homebuyer makes some sort of compromise, none of us get everything we want and that is okay.”
6. Kindness Matters
Rand says, “Be nice to the seller when
you see the home. It can make a differ- ence if you end up in a bidding war.”
7. Do Your Homework Before the Inspection
Make sure you get a professional home inspection and attend that inspec- tion, urges licensed home inspector Jeff Fetchick of House 2 Home Inspections, LLC, which serves Westchester and Fairfield County, among other areas. But before the inspection, “it is best if the buyer has gone through the home first and comes prepared with a list of any questions [see sidebar] that they may have, including things like discoloration or systems or controls they are not familiar with.”
8. Prepare for Your Mortgage Rand says “Start preparing for your mortgage process on the first day you go looking. Save your pay stubs. Don’t
change jobs. Don’t take out any loans.”
Questions to Ask Yourself When Touring a Home
• Are there any strange odors or staining in the bathroom?
• Is it too cool or too hot in the house?
• Have the basement or foundation walls or
floors been recently painted?
• Are only the bottom portions of the
basement walls freshly painted?
• Are all the windows open and fans running
on a too cool or hot day?
• Is the scent from air fresheners too strong? • Are there multiple dehumidifiers running
(or are multiple dehumidifiers tucked away
not so inconspicuously in closets, etc.)? • Does it seem like the seller has curiously
stacked every last personal belonging against
certain areas of a basement, garage, or attic? • Are there sophisticated or multiple
water filters?
If any of these are true, let the home inspector know so that you can be sure that potential issues are not being hidden.
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