Buying a new home is an exciting time and exhausting time. You might find that you have to look for your new home for months before you find something that checks off all the boxes. However, once you find the home of your dreams, remember not to jump in headfirst. There are some things you should always do before you finalize your purchase.
Get an Appraisal
If you are paying cash for your home or are purchasing a FSBO, you might not be required to get an appraisal. However, you should never finalize the sale of a home without getting one done. An appraisal is a valuable tool that ensures you don’t pay more for the home than necessary. The appraisal will look at comparable, recently sold homes in the area and create an average for what the appraiser believes the home you want to buy should cost. Once you have the appraisal in place, you and the seller can renegotiate the sales price, if necessary.
Do an Elevation Survey
Nothing will ruin your dream of owning a new home faster than a flood will. That is why you should always ensure that you have an elevation survey Austin TX done on your potential new property. The survey will tell you the lowest elevation of your property and which spots are at the highest risk of flooding. If you’re in a flood zone, you’ll likely find that an elevation survey is necessary to obtain flood insurance.
Hire a Home Inspector
No matter how beautiful the new home is, you never know its history. Because of that, you never want to ignore having a home inspector look at the home. The inspector will evaluate everything from the crawl space underneath the home to the shingles on the roof. If there is a problem, the inspector will likely find it. The inspection can potentially save you from being saddled with thousands in unexpected repair costs and can help you make an informed decision regarding whether or not the house is truly the one for you.