Online House Hunting

What should I look for when touring a house for sale?

I am house hunting & tomorrow I am going with the realator to look at a house. It's an older house (1920). I am a first time home buyer & I'm not sure what all I should be looking for: closet/storage space, parking, safety, insulation, mold/grout, electrical outlets... can anyone give me some additional tips?

Public Comments

1. Look for any thing that might have to be, fixed or replaced- such as dings, holes, evidence of leaks. you get the idea. Also look for phone jacks. The more rooms that have one, the better. Find out, if you can, if the jacks work. Or try to notice if they seem loose from the wall. That's something else,you'd have to fix. Also listen for any unidentifiable noise, in the walls- especially in the kitchen, near the phone. I toured an old house, that's for sale, Saturday. I heard some kind of sound in the kitchen walls.
2. Check with the town to make sure you can do what you want in the house if you think you might make improvements. Because of the age, you might have restrictions.
3. DEpends on how you are buying house for (to live in ),,,,,,,,,Investment,,,,,,,OR fixer uper,,,,, THERE is no answer to this Question ..STOP////////////
4. Any signs of a wet basement or roof leaks. Those can mean serious structural problem and can be camoflaged for the sale. Ask the realtor if there is a wet basement or if there has ever been a leak in the roof. By law they have to disclose any known problems if you ask. Also look for signs of termites. There will be little grooves in the wood in areas if there are or has been termites. Check the yard for moles or little mounds of dirt above mole holes. Moles are extremely hard to get rid of and need to be removed by a professional. Drive through the neighborhood at other times of day, like saturday or friday night to see what the environment is really like outside of the time frames you were guided there. Use your eyes and your nose to investigate.