Loving Your House: A Real Estate Blog

« Back to Home

4 Details To Notice When You're Looking At Property Listings

Posted on

There are several large real estate websites where you can browse property listings when you're hunting for a new house. The real estate listings are a good place to begin your search since you can rule out certain homes after seeing photos or looking at satellite images of the neighborhood. Here are some details you may want to notice when you're checking the listings and bring up to your real estate agent later if you're interested in a particular house.

1. Number Of Days On The Market

Some property listings include the number of days the home has been on the market. A home that hasn't sold in months could have something wrong with it. You may want to know why it hasn't sold since there might be some problem with the title search or the home could have damage.

Related information is the selling history of the home. This shows when the house has been listed for sale, taken off the market, and sold in the past as well as the listing price, price drops, and sold prices. You may find a home that's been on the market for a long time has been on longer than you think if it's been listed and removed a few times and reset the days-on-market clock.

2. Links To Property Records

A property listing might have a link to the property record website. This site could give you information like the yearly property taxes paid, permits issued, and years renovations were done. You might see a basic floor plan that includes measurements of the house. There might be a map of the property that shows dimensions of the backyard, which could be helpful if you want a home with room for a pool.

3. The Satellite Map Of The Surrounding Area

If you're not familiar with an area, you have no idea what's just a couple of blocks away by looking at property pictures. The listing may contain a link to a map of the home that you can view as a map view or a satellite view. Zoom it out to see what the neighborhood is like. You might find a busy highway just a few blocks away, which you might not like due to the noise or because you have dogs or cats that might get loose.

4. The Price Per Square Foot

When you want to judge the value and quality of a home, look at the property listing for a price per square foot. This isn't always an accurate representation of the home's value since the calculation is based on the asking price for the house, but it gives you a way to judge and compare the quality of the home to other homes in the area. If the price per square foot seems high or low, you may want to know why as it could affect your level of interest in buying the property.


Share