How to Check a Move-In Ready Home for Hidden Problems Before You Make an Offer

By Evelyn Lopes  |  Real Estate Without The Noise  |  

Move-in ready homes look like the easy choice. The paint is fresh. The staging is lovely. The house shows really well. Then you move in, and sometimes the story changes.

On our latest Real Estate Without The Noise episode, my co-hosts Ruth Ballantyne and Sandy Casella and I talked about what a perfect showing can hide. If you're buying in Caledon, Orangeville, Erin, Brampton, Etobicoke or anywhere in the GTA, here's how to check a move-in ready home for hidden problems before you make an offer.

What does move-in ready really mean?

Ask five people and you might get five answers. For some, it means you can live in the house the way it is. It might be outdated. Outdated isn't the same as updated. It only means there are no major components you'll have to take care of in the next year or two.

That's why the finishes aren't the whole story. Picture two houses with the same layout. One is beautifully staged and decorated. Buyers fall in love with it and pay more than they would for the house down the street. Once the furniture is gone, they're the same house.

An outdated house isn't always in bad condition either. Some owners spend their money on the furnace and the roof, the less glamorous parts, instead of the decorating.

How to check a move-in ready home in the GTA: start with the bones

Start with the major components. That means the furnace and air conditioning, the roof, the windows, the plumbing, the attic and the foundation.

Then think about how you'll live there. What will this house look like when the furniture and decorations are gone? Minimal decor can fool you. Many of us think we want to live that way, but it isn't always realistic. Check the closet space. Check the kitchen, and ask yourself if it's the kind you'll actually use.

Cosmetic problems are usually the cheap ones. A buyer bought a house with a finished kitchen and bathroom, and wallpaper from the 1970s. A weekend of stripping and painting with friends turned it into a beautiful home. That costs far less than redoing a kitchen. We all buy with our heart and justify with our head. The trick is knowing which problems are cheap and which ones aren't.

Is it fixed up to sell, or is it how they really live?

When a house looks great, ask one thing. Is this how the owners always keep it, or was it fixed up to sell? Once the deal is firm, people go back to living the way they lived before.

Look for the small tells. Check the the furnace room. If the rest of the house looks perfect, but the furnace room is a mess with a layer of dust on the furnace, the owners probably don't live the way the rest of the house suggests.

This is also why a visit before closing matters. Include at least two re-visits to the property once firm into the offer. Use the first to measure for furniture. Use the second, closer to closing, to confirm the house is in the same condition as when you bought it.

Should I skip the home inspection in a multiple offer?

Many buyers skip the inspection because they don't want to lose the house. Others skip it because of the cost. They figure they can fix a leaky faucet themselves. That misses the bigger picture.

An inspector looks at the mechanical parts, the structure and the safety issues. An inspector can also go into the attic, which you can't do on a showing without permission. And an inspector will tell you how much life is left in major items. A furnace might work today and still be sixteen or seventeen years old, with an average lifespan of twenty years. Then you know to budget for a replacement.

There are ways to stay competitive without dropping the inspection. Make the inspection period very tight, such as 12 or 24 hours. Ask whether you can inspect before the offer date. Or keep the condition in. If you change your mind, you can take it out without doing the inspection. If you never put it in, you can't add it later.

Keep in mind that home inspectors aren't regulated and there's little recourse if one misses something, so an inspection isn't a must for every buyer. If you plan to gut the house, you may not need one. If you'd hire someone to fix a leaky faucet, you probably want one. If you have the opportunity to inspect, do it.

Can I get a home inspection before I make an offer?

Often, yes. Ask for permission to inspect before you submit an offer, especially if you have concerns or there's an offer date being held.

Here's why it matters. Once you put in an offer, you've agreed to a price. If the inspection then turns up a pile of issues, you have to ask for a reduction, and the seller may not be open to that. If you inspect first, you can say, we found this and this. You can work out what it will cost you and what you believe the house is worth. That gives you a true value.

Pre-offer inspections largely stopped in the heated years of 2021 and 2022. In a slower market, there's more room to put your conditions in.

What should I ask the seller about updates?

Ask for proof. When a seller says the roof or windows were updated, ask for receipts and warranties. Recent means different things to different people. Homeowners often say they updated the roof, and when asked when, the answer is fifteen years ago.

In Ontario, buying a home is buyer beware. That means you're expected to inspect anything you can inspect. The seller can't lie if you ask a direct question, so ask.

The biggest red flag - If the seller or the seller's agent tells you to skip the home inspection, or says you don't need one because the house is fine, inspect right away.

Ready doesn't always mean solid

Ready doesn't always mean solid, and solid doesn't always mean ready. Look past the staging. Check the bones. Ask for proof. Then decide with your eyes open.

Listen to the full details shared on an episode of Real Estate Without The Noise: CLICK HERE FOR PODCAST

I'm Evelyn Lopes with RE/MAX Realty Services Inc., serving Caledon, Orangeville, Brampton, Erin, Guelph and the NW GTA. If you're buying or selling and want a second set of eyes on a house, reach out. [email protected] | 905-965-5902
 
 

Disclaimer

The content in this post and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing discussed constitutes legal, financial, mortgage, or investment advice. Real estate markets vary by location and change over time. Always conduct your own research and consult with a qualified professional before making any real estate or financial decisions.
 
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