Just like most things, when it comes to buying a house, the majority of the people begin their search online – internet rules the modern world!
Real estate portals have made things easy for investors and buyers by providing internet listings. These listings contain detailed information about the design and layout of the house, included luxuries, and even the neighborhood.
An important aspect of these online listings is the photos of the property. While as a buyer you would want to see the place for yourself and make a decision only after complete inspection, you might want to view the listing photos first. After all, if you do not like what you see in the photos, why would you bother visiting the place at all?
Despite the importance of a virtual tour, the significance of a home tour cannot be ignored. Nothing compares the on-sight experience you get by visiting and inspecting the property yourself!
Having said that, the day on which you visit the house also holds a lot of importance. While many sellers will welcome you at their property on a weekend, you might want to ask them to shift the plan on a weekday during ‘off’ hours.
Why, are home tours during the ‘off’ hours better?
Here are five reasons that support an affirmative response to this question.
Get to see the location differently
Taking a home tour during ‘off’ hours will help you in understanding the location and surrounding of the property in a better way. Visiting the house on a weekend will not tell you what a typical day is like in the neighborhood, a weekday tour will.
A home visit in late evening can reveal the happenings in the area that follow darkness. Moreover, look out for security arrangements and if you find any issues, address your concerns to the homeowner. Safety and security is something that cannot be compromised – when it comes to buying a house, you would want to make sure the surrounding area is safe before you buy the place.
Experience light at different times of the day
Taking a home tour will allow you to know the orientation of the house – you might want to see which rooms face which direction and how comfortable you feel in each of them. It is important because the directions of the light entering the house also depend on it.
It is possible that you do not like how the beams of streetlights enter your living room brightening the place when you want to keep it dim at night. This can be quite a problem – you cannot keep the curtains drawn forever! Or perhaps you would not like the morning sun to wake you up with its scorching rays as soon as it is up.
Although things like these are minor, it is better to know every detail beforehand – some surprises are not very pleasant! Your preferences do matter a lot. After all, it is you who will be living in the house!
Check the measurements for yourself
Despite getting a general idea of the measurements of different rooms from the online listing, you might want to check them for yourself. It is not that you do not trust the listing information but measurements of some specific places that listing does not cover, such as closets, kitchen cupboards, and storeroom can be useful.
If you plan to convert one of the rooms to a small workplace or a mini gym, you would need to check the size of all the rooms and decide accordingly. A home visit during ‘off’ hours is suitable for this purpose, as it will let you inspect the place without any hurry or distractions.
Have a detailed experience with more time on hands
A proper inspection is only possible if you and the seller have enough time while you are on a home visit. Typically, multiple potential buyers of the best crossbow visit the place on weekends and you might be kept from taking important notes and photos of the house amidst a huge crowd of people. Therefore, a weekday home tour is the way to go, as most probably you would have the entire place to yourself!
The personal and intimate experience that you will get during ’off’ hours will not be possible with all the coming and going of people in the house on a weekend. With some extra time on your hands, you can ask the otherwise-busy seller whatever questions you may have regarding the property and he will be able to hear you out and answer everything in detail.
Get an idea of traffic on the nearby streets
One of the most important issues that you should consider before buying a house is traffic around the place. You would not want to be stuck in traffic for long in the nearby residential streets after a long day at work now, would you?
Visiting the property on a weekday ensures that you get a clear idea of the traffic situation in the area – things are different when it is a Sunday! Thus, make arrangements for a home tour at peak hours to get a realistic idea of traffic. It is recommended to go around the time when you will probably be returning home from the office or going out to run errands.
Conclusion
Buying a house is a major investment and it definitely calls for an in-depth investigation of the property. You will not want to rush into things only to regret your decision later.
One of the essential tools that help you in making a decision you will not regret is home tours. The story, however, does not end here. A home visit to the property may still be of no to little use if you plan it on a weekend. While that is what most of the sellers offer, you should not hesitate to request them to reschedule it during ‘off’ hours. Doing so will be the first best decision you will make – the second will be deciding whether to buy the house or not after the home tour.
Therefore, always take home tours during ‘off’ hours to get a realistic idea of everything you need to consider before investing your hard-earned money – the location, neighborhood, interior design, amenities, measurements, traffic issue, and of course the security.