Hey North Atlanta buyers, what are the six most critical questions you’re going to want to be asking before you buy a home? Stay tuned, and I’m going to answer them for you. All right. Regardless if you have a family or not, or have kids, or planning on kids, the number one question that you’re going to want to start asking about is the local schools. Local schools have a huge impact on the overall value of your property, and also can help on the resale side when you end up selling the property itself. So make sure that you understand exactly what ratings are with the local schools, what schools are available.
In the North Georgia area, we’ve got a lot of private schools. We’ve got charter schools, and then of course, we’ve got public schools as well. There’s some great insight, and some great websites in which you can dive into, and find out what some of the ratings are. So you can make sure that you’re very comfortable with the overall rating of the schools that you’re getting into. A great agent is going to have a lot of that information already for you. So that’ll save you a lot of time, and that’s the value of an agent, right? So the number one question that you need to start asking about is about the local schools.
All right. The second question you need to start asking and looking at is the crime rate. Obviously, security is our number one issue, as it comes to life in general. So crime rates are all over the place. There’s a lot of great online resources that we can point you to, and you can dive into, and actually do your own homework to find out exactly what the crime rate is, and what crimes are being committed, and what those percentages are. I know it’s a difficult conversation to have some time, but obviously crime rate and your safety is our number one priority.
All right. The third question that you need to ask about the property itself is the age of the systems and appliances of the property itself. Now, systems are things like your roof, your hot water heater, your HVAC system, which is your furnace, and your air conditioning unit. Obviously, appliances are the things that come along in the kitchen, the refrigerator and dishwasher, and then you also sometimes have a washer and dryer. Now, the importance of this is that each one of those components has a different life expectancy. For an example, your roof should last if it’s a good quality roof anywhere from 20 to 30 years, whereas a dishwasher, you’re lucky if you can get 10 or 12 years out of that.
So a really good agent is going to be able to dive in and answer all the questions as it relates to just how old are these components, and how much expected life is remaining in those components? That’ll help you make a wise decision on the overall value, and put a credible offer together for a property that you love. The last thing we want you to do is get into a home, and unexpectedly all of a sudden have this big expense like maybe replacing the roof, or a hot water heater, right? So we don’t want to have that. So make sure you understand the age and the life expectancy remaining of each one of those components.
All right. The fourth question that you’re going to want to answer is, “What’s the neighborhood like? Is it quiet? Is it busy? Are there a lot of amenities?” Every homeowners association or subdivision has a little bit different amenity package that comes along with it. Some neighborhoods that we find are super active, with a bunch of young families, and they’re all having a great time. Others are more geared towards people later in life, and they’re quiet, and cozy, and there’s different events that are actually going on. So get to know your neighborhood. A great agent is going to be very well versed in what all the neighborhoods in the North Atlanta area have, and be able to convey that to you. Another great advice that we always have for folks is go visit the neighborhood on the weekend, or maybe after hours, after working hours to see what’s going on in the neighborhood. That’ll give you a good indication of what life is going to be like in the neighborhood.
All right. The fifth question that you’re going to want to ask is, “What has the history been with the house?” Obviously, maybe the current sellers are not the only owners of the property. Maybe there was history before that. That’s going to be critical for you to understand, and be able to take that in consideration. Maybe the existing sellers have owned it for a while, and they can give you all the information as it relates to the property, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
After all, you’re going to really want to know, “Was there any major issues? Was there storm damage at one point? Was it corrected, or was it repaired? What insurance claims have been filed against this property? And also what materials are being used? Was there any discrepancy or disputes with a builder that happened to build the property itself?” So the history of the property is going to be really vital for you to feel really comfortable with exactly what you are purchasing. A great agent is going to be able to dive in and help you do that discovery for you, to find out what the history has not only been, but also pull out what critical pieces are that you’re really going to want to focus on.
All right. The sixth question that you’re going to want to ask is about the listing history, or the price history of the property since it’s been on the market. Now, a great agent is going to be able to tell you exactly that. They’ll be able to show you exactly how long the property has been on the market, if there’s been any price reductions, if there was any prior listings that failed. They’ll also be able to dive in and talk to you about any prior offers that were received on that property. That can tell you a whole heck of a lot of what’s going on. They can find out exactly why those offers weren’t successful, and that will give you some greater insight of the property history, and make sure that you are making a great offer on the property to secure it, and feel 100% comfortable of the purchase that you’re making.
All right buyers, those are the six critical questions that you need to be asking at a minimum when it comes to making an offer on a property. Obviously, there’s a lot more. However, we believe those are the six critical ones. A great agent is going to be able to help you, and guide you every step of the way, and be able to provide you the information that you are needing in order to make a solid offer that’s going to get you to the closing table, and have you feel 100% confidence in the home that you are purchasing. Make sure you subscribe. Hit the button, and let us know if there’s anything we can do for you. In the meantime, have a great day. Thank you.