What All Seniors Should Ask Their Realtor®

Posted by Donald Payne on Sunday, June 21, 2020 at 8:00 PM By Donald Payne / June 21, 2020 Comment

Before buying a home as a senior, it's important to ask your real estate agent several things about the home, the neighborhood, and your budget. While we cannot be discriminatory in any way, we can provide information or resources to answer many of your questions. However, here are some of the top questions all seniors should be asking the real estate agent.

How safe is the neighborhood?

Again, while we cannot break any equal housing laws, we can provide resources and direction on where to find crime and safety issues for a particular neighborhood. We can even provide those resources, however, we cannot latently say this is a safe neighborhood or not a safe neighborhood. We recommend checking in with neighbors and how they feel about the neighborhood.

What are property taxes and utility bills like?

Before committing to a property, it's important to know all additional fees and costs involved in owning the property. This includes any property taxes, homeowner association fees, condo fees, utility bills, and any other additional fees that go along with a particular home or neighborhood.

Does the home come with a warranty?

At this age the last thing you want to do is repair or replace furnaces and major appliances. Ask about warranties and if you can add one on easily to the house. Warranties can actually be renewed every year with certain limitations, so finding a home with a warranty is a benefit for sure.

What's the demographic like in the area?

Again, this is one of those tricky equal housing laws that we cannot break but I can offer you information or resources where you can find out the answer. Maybe you don't want to be in a neighborhood with young families, loud neighbors, or lots of dogs barking all hours of the night. Finding a 55+ active adult community might be more up your alley. I can provide that information even though I cannot discriminate against any particular demographic.

What's the turnover in a neighborhood?

Are you looking for more of a short-term home or your forever home? Homes may not sustain their value if there are too many rentals in the neighborhood or if homes have higher turnover. But, if you're looking for a shorter-term residence, higher turnover means you'll be able to sell when necessary.

I'd love to help you find the right neighborhood and home for your needs regardless of what stage of life you're in. Give me a call today or browse more information on my website or all the homes for sale in the Columbus area.