What I Look For When Showing a Home in the Phoenix Area

I thought I would share with you some of the things I look for when showing a home to a Buyer.  I believe it is important for Realtors to continually educate their clients during the process of looking for a home.  Indeed, I believe the best Realtors are those that are regularly communicating information to their clients that helps those clients gain perspective and insights on what makes a good property.  Keep in mind, I call out things I see at the outset so people are aware of them.  Of course, if there is interest in purchasing the property, I recommend experts in their respective fields come to look at the property in more detail as I am not licensed as a termite inspector, home inspector, etc.

So, here goes.

When Showing a Home (doesn’t matter whether this is a Chandler home, Gilbert home, or a home in the outskirts of Rio Verde)

Interior

Kitchen

• What kind of cabinets are in the kitchen and are they in good shape or due for an overhaul?  Painted cabinets are something to be careful of as many homeowners don’t do a good job of painting them (or the company they hired).  I occasionally see a home that does a really good job of this as one I can think of that I helped a young couple purchase in Ahwatukee.  Oak is the surface that I see painted.  Only on one occasion did I see a home where the maple cabinets in the kitchen were painted over – I thought this was a colossal waste of a fine wood.
• What kind of countertops are there?  Laminate is the cheapest but easy to replace.  Tile counters are mostly outdated now though I come across one that is quite unique once in a while.  Many Corian counters are largely outdated now and buyers avoid them but not so much as tile.  Corian does usually have the seamless lines into the sink which I like.  However, Corian can look good and if it does, I don’t believe it is worth replacing.  The one cool thing about Corian as well is that you can actually sand the surface (have a professional do it) and make the Corian look as good as the day it went in.  Granite is the most sought after granite but some granites are what I call ‘retail-grade’ and can be hard on the eyes (these are the kinds I find at the gym or a hair salon).  I like granites that are bold with striations and color and not excessively dark.
• Appliances
  • Dishwasher – I open it up to see if there are rust deposits in there.  If so, are they isolated to the racks only or on the tub?  You may be able to replace only the racks to get rid of it all.  Is the dishwasher a good brand and quality or a cheap ‘rental’ unit?
  • Refrigerator – I look to see what the rough age and condition is if it conveys with the property.
  • Range – I like to know the brand and quality of the unit.
• Under the sink – What’s it look like under the sink?  This is the most likely place for a leak, so what does it look like under there?  Are there signs of a leak?  Is the wood damaged in any way?  Is it clean?

Master Bedroom and Bath

• Bathroom
  • What is the bathroom configuration and how does that work with the clients?  It is always good to have both a shower and bath not critical.  Are there double sinks?  A good configuration is double sinks, separate shower and tub.
  • What is the condition of the shower and bath?  I look at the bottom of the shower as this is the most telling – inside and outside.  Sometimes on the outside at the bottom where the drywall meets the shower, there can be water damage.
  • What do under the sinks look like?
  • How updated is everything in the bathroom?
  • Is the flooring in the bathroom carpeting or hard surface such as tile?  Most buyers prefer hard flooring in the master bathroom and other bathrooms.  Men definitely do not like carpeting near the toilet.
• What is the size of the master bedroom?  Is it really large enough to accommodate furniture?
• What shape is the master bedroom?  I generally suggest buyers avoid master bedrooms that have a diagonal cut that reduces the size of the room.  Once in a while, you see a house where there are a lot of angled walls.  If the master bedroom has an odd angle, then you will want to take that into consideration.
• Sitting areas are great when connected to the master, in my opinion.
• Is the master bedroom clearly split from the other bedrooms in the house?  This tends to be a preferred characteristic for many home buyers.
• Is the walk-in closet large?  Is it tall?  Is it tall enough to add additional storage shelving if you wanted to?  Buyers prefer larger walk-in closets and I am always surprised at the emphasis on the size of the master closet by buyers.
• Is the master bedroom on the same level as the other bedrooms?  If the master is down and the other bedrooms up, this is an issue for many buyers.  So, be sure that your clients know of the potential impact here.

Other Bedrooms

• Are they large enough for the buyer’s purposes.  Here’s a rough guide to respectable room sizes.  9′x9′ is really small and will certainly be looked down upon and considered more as an office space and not a bedroom.  10′x10′ is small as well but probably okay for infants and small children, but not teens.  11′x11′ is probably a respectable minimum size.  Any larger sizes are great.
• What kind of repainting work is needed?  This is because many of the extra bedrooms out there are painted for the kids in mind.

Den/Office

• Make sure that the owner and listing agent isn’t classifying a true den/office as a bedroom.  If the room has its own closet and the room can be completely closed, it can be considered a bedroom as well.  However, if the room is off by itself in the middle of the home with double doors, it really shouldn’t be looked at that way.
• Pay attention to the size as den/offices often run a little smaller than normal bedrooms when they are separate from the other rooms.

Other Bathrooms

• What does the cabinetry look like and is it consistent with the other bathrooms and kitchen?
• Is the flooring consistent with the other parts of the house?
• If the home is a two-level home, is there a bath and bedroom away from the other bedrooms (on a different floor) that can be a guest room?

Utility Room

• How large is it?  Will it accommodate baskets on the floor as well?  Most utility rooms are on the way from the garage into the home and aren’t much bigger than the washer and dryer with shelves.  The best utility rooms have room for baskets and hampers.  If the home is a two-level home, I find buyers really like it when the utility room is upstairs (if this is the case, look for an overflow pan and drain where the washer should go).
• If there are cabinets, do they match what else is in the house?  This isn’t really so important and the cabinets are often white.

Garage

• Are there cabinets in the garage that are affixed (permanent)?
• Is there a soft water loop?  Is there a soft water softener unit?
• Is there a central vacuum hookup or system in place in the garage?  This only comes up about 1 in 20 homes.
• Is there an epoxy coating on the floor?  I like the simpler, ‘painted on’ epoxy coats rather than the full epoxy treatments that take days to do.  Why?  Because they are much less expensive and perform much of the same protective purpose.
• How deep is the garage and will that work for the buyer’s needs?  Many buyers have long trucks so this is important.
• Are there window panels in the garage door?  I like these as

Pests

• Scorpions – I look for these in any house I enter.  First, I don’t want my client to accidentally be stung by one.  Also, by looking for them, it gives me a headsup if scorpions may be in the area.
• Black widows – I watch for these to keep my clients from accidentally walking into their web.  Black widows are mostly hidden away in the daytime but garages are notorious for black widows to still be out even during the day.
• Bug infestations – I don’t come across anything here usually but

Other

• Signs of leak damage and repairs on the ceiling.  Even a faint, yellowish discoloration is a sign of potential damage from a water leak.
• Carpet – The first sign of any problem with carpet is an odor, usually from pets.  I try to watch for discoloration in the carpeting.  I have come to believe that if a house has a pet urine odor throughout, the carpet is shot.  If there is an odor there, plan on replacing the carpet if you are concerned about it.  Here’s a tip – Whatever the surface of the carpet looks like when it comes to pet stains, the backside is far worse.
• Single pane windows or dual pane windows?  The latter is certainly better.  Incidentally, it was sometime in the 1990s that installing dual pane windows became the norm.  Newer homes will certainly have them.
• Window treatments – What kind are they and what condition are they in?  Here is my scale of the quality of window treatments from worst to best in terms of practical use, quality, and impact.  Vertical blinds, Nylon 1″ horizontal blinds, Metal 1″ horizontal blinds, Nylon 2″ blinds, Faux wood 2″ blinds, Wood 2″ blinds (white is always a safe bet), lesser quality plantation shutters, higher quality plantation shutters.  By the way, good shutters in a home can run $5,000 to $10,000 depending on the size of the home and number of windows.
• Walls – Generally, I am looking for holes, blemishes, and other marks.  I am also looking to see what the extent of likely repainting might be.  As well, if there is any wallpaper, I am calling that out given that this is an added cost to get it out and retexture walls.
• Flow of the home – How does the home flow and how does it relate to the buyer’s needs?
• Flooring – Consistency in flooring across a home should be the rule.  Keep this in mind.  Generally speaking, you don’t want to see more than 3 flooring types across a house if you can avoid it.  Very few homes can really accommodate more than that successfully.
• Step-ups and step-downs – These are when you have to step-down into a room such as the living room.  I find that many buyers don’t like steps or have family members that would have a hard time with the extra steps.
• Cost of the home – I simply look for things that the future buyer should consider in terms of additional cost.  Does the kitchen need to be remodeled or the exterior need to be repainted?  Is the tile very dated and severely due for a redo?  What kind of additional cost may a homeowner be looking at that they might not have figured on?

Exterior

• What is the orientation of the home – North/South or East/West?  Most homes in the Phoenix area are North/South orientation which is preferred.  Most buyers will see this as a preference but not outright reject a home if it isn’t facing the right way.
• Paint – How is the condition of the paint.  Is it faded and the house in need of repainting?  It is common to see paint flaking off at the foundation edge near the dirt so I put less emphasis here.
• Is there cracking on the exterior stucco that appears more significant than common settlement cracks?
• Are there any serious cracks on the foundation?
• Air conditioning – Because exterior A/C units typically look rusty and beat up outside though their operation may actually be fine, I don’t put a lot of emphasis here.  However, I like to look at the drains for the unit(s) from the interior units.  There is usually a primary and a secondary outlet where water often drips out.  I look for serious rust deposits as this is a sign that there may be a blockage as well as the drip pan may be rusting out.  If the drain pan under the attic space should rust out and develop a hole, the water will end up draining into your ceiling rather than outside.  As well, I like to look at the model number information to determine what the likely tonnage is and how that might relate to the cooling capacity of the home.  I wrote a separate blog post on how to read the numbers.  Specifically, I am trying to understand if the air conditioning system may be undersized for the home.
• Obvious termite activity – A termite mud tube is usually visible at a home on the foundation cement when there is termite activity.  Of course, a termite inspection should always be used as the definitive inspection if the home is to be purchased by the buyer.
• Wood rot on the patio or other places where natural wood is used.  It’s not unusual to find dryrot on the patio cover.  Typically, this is due to the patio roof surface breaking down and water seaping to the edges and rotting out the wood.
• Signs of additions – In Mesa, due to the age of homes (Mesa has many homes that were built back in the 1950s to 1970s), it is not unusual to see additions to homes and other odd changes.  As such, when I suspect there has been an addition, I look at the walls to understand what work might have been done and what looks to be part of the original structure versus not.
• Carport – If the house only has a carport (assuming the client is open to a carport), I am looking to see if the carport could easily be converted to a garage.  However, the biggest drawback to many carports is that they are not long enough to accommodate most cars.  It’s important to know if this is the case with a home the buyer is considering.
• Shared wall – Once in a while, I come across a home that has a shared wall in the backyard.  In other words, the backyard wall is the neighbor’s house.  I have seen this at Scottsdale homes I have visited, at homes in Chandler and Ahwatukee, and other parts of the Valley.  It’s not a bad thing necessarily – just one of those things to be aware of and comfortable with.
• Roof – With composite rooves, I look to see if there is any lifting of the roof in areas.  Sometimes, you can see a dip in the roof indicative of the trusses not sufficiently supporting the roof.  I look for fading and any signs of excessive wear and tear.  With tile rooves, a roofer will tell you that the underlayment is what matters in knowing the condition of the roof.  The underlayment is what really keeps the moisture and water out.  When upstairs in a two-level home, I look for damage to the patio or balcony roof that would suggest it needs to be replaced.  I might spy for broken or missing tiles as well.
• Yard – What’s the condition of the yard?  I try to understand what it would cost to get the yard in shape if it is in disarray.   I am looking for a well manicured yard as this is indicative of pride of ownership.  Are plants healthy or are they dying?
• Exterior Upgrades – I am looking for upgrades in the yard that would clearly add value to the home.  This is the obvious stuff such as rock accents, lush professional landscaping, golf greens, barbecues (though I don’t consider a lot of value for these – I think they are overrated for the average buyer these days), etc.
• Are there any obvious drainage issues?
• If the property is a horse property or property with acreage, I look for where the lot lines appear to go if not defined by fencing.
• Is the house connected to a sewer or does it have septic?  The listing should contain this information and I will look around the house for signs of the septic system.
• Are there any signs of drainage or other issues with the grading of the lot?
• What do houses around look like?  What condition are they in and are there any blights?
• What is around the home in terms of commercial, residential, and other land?

Pool

Overall, I am looking for any hints that there is a major expenditure required for the pool from a visual standpoint.

• I am looking for chipped tiles, missing tiles, and cracking in the surface of the pool.  I often find the spillway from a spa into the pool to be particularly susceptible to lost tiles and cracking.
• I am looking for cracks in the surface of the pool.
• I am looking for any leaks at the equipment that seem significant.
• Plaster pools – If there is growth in the pool, I am looking to see if algae has penetrated the surface of the plaster.  If it has, then it will be very difficult to get the staining out.  I am also looking for significant cracking indicative of the pool needing a redo.
• Pebbletec – If there is a roll beam, I am looking for any cracking as this is an expensive fix.  For instance an 8 foot stretch of roll beam could cost around $1,000 to fix if it is significantly cracked.

Feel free to print this list out as a reminder as to what you should be considering when you look at homes.  If you want to share this, feel free.  It’s just some thoughts that I hope would be helpful.

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Tagged as: chandler home, phoenix home, rio verde homes, showing a home