4 Red Flags to Watch Out For When Buying a Home

Buying a new home is a big decision in anyone’s life, and all home buyers want to make the process run as smoothly as possible without any hiccups or setbacks. One way buyers can help ensure everything goes as intended is by keeping an eye out for red flags. But just what are the red flags home buyers need to know? Here are some of the different red flags buyers may encounter when looking for their next home and what they mean.

1. The Listing Has No Photos

Online listings are extremely important when trying to sell a home. These listings are going to be most buyers’ first impressions, so it’s essential to make sure they put the home’s best foot forward by posting plenty of photos and information. This is why if a listing doesn’t have any photos of the home, buyers should be a bit wary. If a listing doesn’t have any photos on it, it can mean that the seller is trying to hide something about the home’s appearance. However, there can be other explanations such as website glitches or the seller being inexperienced, so it isn’t necessarily nefarious if a listing doesn’t include photos.

2. The Price Is a Steal

When buying a Bellacere home, everyone is looking for the best deal possible, but sometimes buyers may find a deal that seems too good to be true. When a seller lowers their home’s price drastically, there can be a few causes. The first is that no one is offering on the home, and the seller is trying to get people interested in it. The second reason is that they’re trying to hide large faults in the home behind an extremely tempting price tag. If a buyer finds a home with a price that seems too good to be true, it probably is, and they should be extremely thorough when viewing it.

3. It’s Being Sold “As Is”

When a home is sold “as is,” it means that no work will be done on the home before it’s sold, and what the buyer sees is what the buyer will get.  While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can get a little concerning when a home is being sold as is without an opportunity to have it inspected. During the home inspection is when any problems with a home will be discovered, so if a seller refuses to let buyers have an opportunity to have it inspected, it’s likely because they know there is something wrong with the home, and if the buyer discovers it, it will cause the deal to fall through.

4. There Are Signs of Mold

Mold is a huge problem in a home that can cause many different diseases and health problems and cost a lot of money to get rid of, so it’s something no home buyer wants to find in their new home. Buyers can keep an eye out for some of the signs of mold when viewing a home. Here are some of the common ones:

• A musty or moldy smell, even if mold can’t be seen.
• Random dirt in basements or moist areas that may actually be mold.
• Leaking pipes that create an environment for mold growth.
• A history of flooding in the home.

Home buyers who discover mold in a home should be extremely wary. If mold is plainly visible in a home, it can mean that there is more elsewhere in the home that isn’t easily seen.

No one wants to purchase a new home only to discover months or years later that their investment wasn’t worth the money. Keeping an eye out for these red flags early on can help protect buyers later.