Even Your Home Inspector Can't Catch This Problem

So, you are all excited about buying a home.  It's in the area of town you always wanted. It offers the number of bedrooms you need, the back yard you always wanted, and it's in the school district you hoped for.  As any diligent home buyer would do, you hire a home inspector to come out and check out the property.  In fact, when it comes to home inspections you ask for all the extras, the lead inspection, radon inspection, roof, foundation, and soil inspections galore.  You want to make sure this home is solid.  There's nothing worse than buying a home and finding out after that there is a problem you didn't bargain for.

The home inspection goes well.  It's an older home so of course there are areas that will need upkeep, but the inspection reports what you had hoped for, a house with good bones.  You move forward and you are buying the house!  But wait! Is it possible that there is an issue that could adversely influence your peace and prosperity in the home?  Is there something that the home inspector doesn't even check for?  Yes, and most people don't even think about this.  After all, as the saying goes, "It isn't a problem until it's a problem."

Bad Neighbors.  It can happen to the best of home buyers.  You are so diligent in taking every precaution when buying the house that you forget to check out the people who will be living the closest in proximity to you.  Are they neighbors you can live with?  Who knows, but you might want to find out BEFORE you buy the house rather than after.

Four Tips for Making a Great Home Buying Decision:

1. Can You Live With It?:  Take a brief look at your neighbor's house. That does not mean you should go prowling through their yard.  Just drive by or check it out from the yard of the house you are buying (when you are with your agent and have permission to be in the yard of course).  Don't expect that you can change anything at your neighbor's house.  If they have ten rusted out old cars sitting on their lawn, assume they are there to stay.  If there are typically five dogs in their back yard and they are always barking, assume that those dogs will be a permanent fixture in your new life. Is it the middle of June and they still have holiday decorations in the yard?  I have news for you, those decorations are permanent. Take a little time to notice the property next door and make sure you can live with it because it is not changing.

2. Knock, knock, knock:  Before writing your offer it's not a bad idea to knock on the door of your neighbor's home to meet them one on one. Ask them what they like about the neighborhood and what they don't.  Often times they will even share with you information about the home you are buying.  In the first home I ever owned on my own it was a pizza delivery man that told me about a big fire that had occurred at my house twenty years earlier.  My neighbor confirmed it, so did some old newspaper clippings.  Had I interviewed my neighbors beforehand I probably would have learned about it much sooner. It wouldn't have changed my decision to buy but it's something I would have liked to have known sooner. The neighbors will likely offer a wealth of information about the new area you are buying in.  As well, you will get a good feel for how easy (or not so easy) your new neighbors will be to live with.

3. Day, Night, Weekends Too:  Drive through the neighborhood at varying times.  What happens if your neighbors have teenagers that party with loud music every Friday and Saturday night after dark? If you have an infant at home it might make a very big difference in your buying decision.  Take the time to drive by your potential new home at different hours of the day and night. Again, don't assume that people will change because a new neighbor has moved in. On the contrary many people dig their heels in if asked to change because they were there first.

4. A Visit to the Station: After visiting your neighbors stop by the police station.  Here you can ask about crime and registered sex offenders.  Both are items that may effect your decision to buy the property as well as the future salability of your home.

Of course a home inspection is a great idea, but true due diligence will take a little extra leg work, but it's all worth it in the end.