Three most annoying things when buying a home (And how to avoid them)

Buying a home ought to be a milestone, an investment, and, once 
you’ve moved in, a celebration, right?!

How is it, then, that many home buyers end up pulling their hairs 
out?

Unfortunately, there can be many annoyances you will face when 
closing the deal today on your dream property.

So, let’s avoid those unpleasant surprises and tackle the most 
annoying things about buying a home:

MOST ANNOYING THING #1:HIDDEN COSTS

You’ve now truly fallen in love with the new place; you’ve worked 
out that you can afford it if you make some lifestyle cuts.
And you’ve overcome the massive hurdle of paying the initial deposit!
But you’re still not in the clear yet! You still have the bond 
registration fees, prepaid electricity deposits, moving costs and 
a few other bills to pay. And then you find out that the kitchen 
counters are worse off than you realize and will need urgent 
replacement! Now you’ve definitely exceeded your forecasted budget 
for that period!

Yes, the cost of buying a home is definitely more than the 
asking price.Sadly, you more than likely didn’t figure this one 
out until it’s too late and those costs have been snowballing!

So, what’s the solution to avoid getting stuck in that money-sucking 
vortex?

Don’t purchase a house using your entire (loan) budget, which pretty 
much leaves you no margin for nasty surprises;
Do some rough forecasting beforehand how much it’ll likely cost to do 
some initial upgrades to the house;
Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your bank, real estate agent or 
bond originator: that’s what your team is there for!

MOST ANNOYING THING #2: HIDDEN SELLERS

Can you believe it: that one particular home you’ve been looking at 
online checks all the boxes for you!Next up will be a visit in person, 
but in the immortal words of Little Richard, “You keep a knockin’ but
 you can’t come in.” The house is like a fortress and the owners are 
nowhere to be seen!?
 
Equally frustrating is when the sellers don’t communicate with the 
buyers: the buyers place an offer but don’t get a single response.

Are the sellers playing hard-to-get?

The potential solution here might be to work with a good real estate 
agent who can facilitate viewing times and communication, which will 
allow you to carry on with your life while they assist with keeping 
negotiations moving along.

MOST ANNOYING THING #3. HIDDEN TASKS

Paperwork, packing up and moving were all big enough tasks on their 
own! So, leaving more (unnecessary) work for the buyers when they take 
occupation of the new home can drive them over the edge.

Unfortunately, this sounds all too familiar to many of us, no?

This could be in the form of leftover “presents” such as stacks of 
empty crates piled up in the back of the garage, empty paint cans or 
other trash.

Or, it could be that the new homeowner is tasked to replace essentials 
in the house. Essentials, such as toilet roll holders, curtain rails, 
or heck, even all the light bulbs throughout the house.

Sadly, this last example is all too common! Did the seller seriously 
feel the need to take all his bulbs with him?

Real classy.

So, what would be a solution for this one?

Make sure to discuss the above with the moving company ahead of time, 
so if/when the time comes, they can help you to remove unwanted goods 
off to the dump for a small extra fee.
As for missing essentials, keep your eyes open during your final 
walk-through before you move in, so you can deal with it proactively.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

From the points above, you can see that annoyance and disappointment 
often boil down to results that fail to live up to one’s expectations.

It doesn’t have to be a difficult process if you remain prepared and 
positive.

And while we’re on the topic, if you happen to be a seller reading 
this, in the end, you want a good price for your property, so why not 
help your buyers who are paying your desired price level, by repaying 
them with a hassle-free sale by properly preparing your house for sale!?

Good luck!

SOURCE:  Immoafrica