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there can always be some small detail that others would not notice that could bug the heck out of you and for this reason alone, it's worth it to make the effort. I couldn't trust a parent/sibling to check out a 400k house for me because I'm particular about some things (house placement on street, orientation to north, smells, sounds in the neighborhood etc).
people looking at homes over $500k tend to be more discerning than people looking at the lower priced homes.
Plus!!! The neighborhood. Check it out. We almost, in fact had signed on a house; not close to school or airport; but after signing the following weekend, walked around the neighborhood and low and behold, charity low cost housing, right around the block. Had to hire a lawyer, to get out of that deal. Not that there is anything wrong with the housing.......but, resale, think.
Then we asked our buyer's agent to come to the house and film it inside - she did a fantastic job! Then she stood outside and took a video from the outside looking away. With all of that, when we did get to see the house in person, we felt as though we had already been there - no surprises.
+1
a video is a great idea. surprised more people don't do this.
Thanks for all the replies! It's not the money to go fly and see it, it's that we have 3 young kids and are both working this weekend. But, I think we can figure out a way for my husband to fly for the day Sunday to take a look.
Good point. I'm actually from the city originally (though not this particular suburb). My parents have lived in the area for 10 years and I have several friends who live nearby also. So, I not unfamiliar with the immediate area.
Oh, wait a min....have your parents go look and make an offer contingent on inspection.
It would be crazy to CLOSE on a house you've never been in... but not crazy to make an offer that includes standard inspections and reviews. You can get the house under contract if you're worried about losing it... Just be there to see it in person before the inspection AND/OR neighborhood review period expires, and INSPECT IT.
I agree! We went into contract sight unseen. It was not feasible to fly to see it and then the price dropped after we rejected her second counter so it was not going to stick around until we got to the area. We were familiar with the area and used google maps, our agent took 60 pictures and we had friends who knew previous renters. Some things were better than we expected and some things were not as good but we are so happy with our decision. The layout was not what my husband was expecting but it is a very traditional layout and we both really like it. I wasn't expecting a garage so that was an awesome bonus!
I saw the house while it was still in due diligence period and my husband saw it before closing. If we backed out during due diligence we would have lost $2500 and 5K after due diligence. It was worth $2500 to have my elem aged daughter be able to start school right away and not be in limbo for months on end. It was winter and inventory in the neighborhood in our price range was non existent.
With all of that said we are not the pickiest of people. We didn't have a list of must haves a mile long. We knew going in the bones of the house were amazing and the kitchen and bathrooms needed to be redone. It is a great lot in an wonderful location on a quiet street in the school district we wanted.
A house worth 100K, no not insane. A house worth 1 million? Yes, not only insane but down right, well...
If you can afford a million dollar home, you can afford a trip and a hotel stay for 1-2 weeks to either look at this house or if it doesn't work out find another one. Looking at 4 houses a day you should be able to find at least 3 to make offers on and at least one of those will close. Use financing, neighborhood review and inspection contingency to back out of the ones that you end up passing on when you get a signed contract.
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