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- Driver's License - You must make sure you change your address with your State's department of motor vehicles (DMV).
- Magazine Address Changes - We have collected some great information on how to change your address to keep getting the magazines you love at your new home.
- Name Change Checklist - If you have recently gotten married, divorced, or changed your name for any other reason, then this list of resources will help you make sure you notify organizations that need to know your new name.
- USPS COA Site - You can pay a small fee to change your address here OR you can use our FREE service.
- USPS Options for Receiving Mail - This is an interesting page where you can see what your options are for receiving mail. Did you know you had any?
- Call to Change Your Address - This is an FAQ entry on how to change your address over the telephone.
- USPS State Abbreviations - This is a real quick table for looking up State abbreviations.
20 Tips for House Hunters
After buying or living in dozens of homes you build up quite a bit of experience that is useful when you go house hunting. Generally, people do a great job of looking out for things that they have grown to hate about their previous homes. If you are a first time home buyer though you may not have enough experience to be able to look past the floor plans and excellent home staging that most sellers will go through to make you instantly fall in love with their home. So in addition to the aesthetics of a home here is a list of 20 Tips for House Hunters that will help you know more about the home before you make an offer.
- Water Pressure – Turn on the faucets at each sink and make sure that the water pressure is good. You also want to make sure that the faucets don’t drip for a long time after you shut them off. If you have a problem with low water pressure it’s generally very costly to fix and will definitely bother you over time.
- Water Temperature – How long does it take for the water in each faucet to get warm or hot. If it takes too long that can really be a pain over time.
- Toilets – Check each toilet to make sure each toilet flushes. You may even want to pull off the tank lid and just make sure that the flapper and other mechanicals are in good shape.
- Air Filters – Check at least one of the air filters (vent filters) to see if it looks like it has been recently replaced as it will help you understand how well they keep up the house.
- Light Fixtures – make sure all permanent light fixtures are in good working order and that the switches are properly configured including any dimmer switches.
- Ceiling Fans – make sure all ceilings fans are in good working order and that they appear to be stable and generally quiet when they are running at a high speed.
- Showers – make sure the water pressure in the showers is adequate and also check to see how long it takes for the water in the shower to heat up.
- Appliances – verify that all appliances are in good working order and that they appear to be generally in good shape. Open each up to see if they have a bad odor or any other problem that tends to happen to appliances over time (especially dish washers and refrigerators).
- Furnace – verify that the furnace works by forcing the heat to kick on using the thermostat (find out the age as these are expensive to repair).
- Air conditioning – verify that the central air conditioning unit or units are in good working condition (find out the age as these are also expensive to repair).
- Electrical Wiring – work with light switches to see if there seem to be any shorts in them and test at least a few electrical outlets to make sure they are working and that they don’t spark when you plug and unplug things into them.
- Attics – Go up or into each attic space to make sure that they are well insulated and that there are no surprises in them. Also pay close attention to any pest droppings (rats, mice, etc.) which may be residing in those spaces.
- Water spots – Check the ceilings for water spots pay close attention to any ceilings that seem newly painted and inquire as to why they have been painted (especially if it looks like a small area).
- Roof – Check the roof to make sure that shingles aren’t missing and that it looks to be in fairly good shape (also ask how long the current shingles have been in place).
- Outside faucets – Make sure the outside faucets are in good working order and that the water pressure is good for those as well.
- Outside sprinkler systems – Make sure you test the outside sprinkler system to make sure that each zone is working properly and that all sprinkler heads are functional.
- Exterior siding/brick – Look at the siding on the home or external materials to make sure that the paint or brick is in good condition and will be lasting for a while (look closely for any mold build-up on the exterior of the home).
- Gutters and Drainage – Make sure the gutters on the roof and exterior are in good shape and directing water away from the home and toward effective drainage. Look for water pooling in the yard and try to identify the source of the water if possible. Good drainage is incredibly important in the longterm.
- Cement – Look at the foundation, the driveways, the sidewalks, the garage floor, and other cement or concrete to see that it is in good condition and not severely cracked anywhere.
- Inspections – Always take advantage of the different types of home inspection services before buying a home (pest inspections, general home inspections, termite inspections, etc.). These are normally only performed after you have made an offer on a home, but if you know an inspector it’s a great idea to have them go house hunting with you.
Of course most people will do a great job at looking at the carpet, the paint on the walls, the number of rooms, the doors, the floor plan, and other aesthetics. Our recommendation is that you only put a house through the paces above if you generally like the home and could see yourself living in the home. There is no need to test a home thoroughly otherwise. Happy House Hunting!
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Andrew Perkins, Gene Mundt, Simplify Realty, Inc, SalesPro Connect, Scott Connors and others. Scott Connors said: 20 Tips for House Hunters http://bit.ly/bczBxz What other tips would you add? #realestate [...]
–Wish I had seen this before we bought into this house,…if I knew then, what you’ve shown me now, I would have definitely been more discerning and demanding, but it’s tough when you are a couple of women alone, trying to find appropriate and affordable housing. Situation is worse when someone else holds the purse strings and refuses to consider hiring an inspector because they are not used to spending money for things like that when they were married. Someone should either write a really great instruction book for women or consider charging less, possibly dependent on only ‘good’ news???? Where is Mr. Buffett when you need him????
Hello- You’ve brought up several good issues in your post.
Home staging will often bring a better sales price and speed up the sales process.
Most sellers tend to underestimate the value that home staging will bring.
My constructing has pest manage schedules, I was told the company will come next week and they want access to the bathroom, closets and kitchen. What do they do when they pest manage the apartment? do I need to empty my closets?, I have a cat, a betta along with a few indoor plants mainly cooking spices like chives, rosemary, etc, I’m wondering if it is safe for my pets and if they will give me trouble because I have plants within, any advice?
Great article! This article is also great for sellers to go over. It can help sellers check on their home before they decide to list it. Great list! Thanks!