The pandemic has caused an unprecedented demand for suburban housing. And many people want to live in their private homes and interest in suburban real estate remains.
If you are thinking about buying a private house, first of all, you must definitely analyze your needs: do you need to travel to work every day or do you have the opportunity to work at least a couple of days a week remotely, which educational institutions your children go to, etc.
When looking for new housing on https://hawaiitrustedrealty.com/houses-for-sale-honolulu, it would also be useful to inquire about the plans for building and developing the surrounding area, the environmental situation, and whether there are water bodies and forests nearby.
Find out who your nearest potential neighbors are — getting to know them will help you learn a lot of interesting things about the house itself, its past owners, and about life in the area where this house is located before buying.
How to choose a house without building experience?
First of all, you need to calculate the useful area of the house: this includes not only the bedroom, kitchen, and living room but, for example, a dressing room, storage room/laundry room, and guest bathroom.
Decide on the functionality and availability of communications, but do not forget that the cold water outlet should be held outside. In an emergency, you can contain the blaze, and in ordinary everyday life — water the lawn or wash the car.
It is advisable to consider the communication diagram together with a specialist who knows the characteristics and specifications of heating equipment. Thus, you can predict problem areas and, in general, know how water is supplied.
As practice has shown, not everyone thinks about fire safety. In most cases, the installation of an alert system is simply ignored. Keep in mind, if, at the time of an unforeseen situation, special equipment is not installed in your house, the insurance company has the right not to pay monetary compensation.
Also, it is recommended to consider the most widespread points that people pay attention to when choosing a house for permanent residence:
- Location of the site. Of course, the location and flatness directly affect the price of the site. So, for instance, a territory with a slope will cost 30-40% cheaper than similar flat plots.
- As a rule, in more or less large settlements, a central sewerage system has been installed, the payment for which is included in the list of utilities. However, you can think over your domestic water treatment system: install a septic tank near the house, in which microorganisms decompose all biowaste, and then the purified liquid enters the ground.
- Autonomy from the power network. To provide yourself with an uninterrupted supply of electricity, you can install solar panels or buy a gasoline generator. Significant savings when using alternative energy sources will be noticeable after several years of operation in the year-round mode.
- Even the old people say that you need to choose not a house, but neighbors. It is they who create an atmosphere near you in which you will have to live for more than a year.
- Availability of infrastructure within walking distance: shops, pharmacies, bus stops, schools, hospitals, etc. This item is desirable but not required. Perhaps you will solve the problem with food by simply using an online store with delivery, and your children will study at home.
- House size and its general appearance. Be sure to consider and calculate the required amount of living space, at the rate of 30m² per adult.
Of course, all this is individual. However, the presence of minimal services will greatly simplify your life and, possibly, in a critical situation, will give you a saving of time.
Check the documents for the house and land
If you are satisfied with the location and there are no problems with the technical aspects, it’s time for the third and no less important stage — checking documents and all legal nuances. The list of documents for verification is quite large and may vary depending on the location and type of housing and site.
It is also necessary to check the status of the land of the settlement, the conformity of the actual and registered boundaries, and the status of the buildings.
If both parties are satisfied with everything, the deal begins. First, the buyer transfers part of the amount – from three to twenty percent – to the agent’s account, as a deposit for the duration of the transaction. At the same time, those conditions are stipulated under which you can refuse to complete the transaction and, at the same time, not lose your money.
Next, due diligence begins. At the same time, compliance with legal norms by both the seller and the buyer is studied. This is done by special companies that are usually hired by an agent.
If no violations are found at this stage, you may also need to obtain permission from the council of the local cooperative or condominium, that is, other residents of your site. It may not be that easy. You will have to provide personal and financial information.
