Most Overlooked Home Features & How to Spot Them

Conventional wisdom holds that prospective buyers are drawn to a home’s kitchen, baths, and obvious upgrades such as hardwood floors and large closets. But there are also many overlooked upgrades that help a home stand out, provide additional security, or boost convenience. Some of the most sought after, yet often overlooked upgrades, include:

• In-ground lawn irrigation An in-ground irrigation system offers homeowners a yard that essentially waters itself. Gone are the days of hauling a garden hose across the yard to keep the grass green and the garden soaked.
• Energy efficient windows Upgraded energy efficient windows may be hard to spot, but they make themselves known by helping keep the house warm, eliminating leaks and drafts, and working to reduce a home’s heating and cooling costs.
• Cast iron pipes Pipes sit deep in the walls of a home, causing cast iron pipes to easily be one of the most overlooked home features. Cast iron plumbing is far sturdier than the standard PVC pipes and provides more comprehensive sound insulation.
• Security door  A steel security door offers your family an excellent combination of safety and insulation. A steel door is far more secure than the conventional hollow core door installed on most homes. It also works to dampen exterior sounds and provides exceptional insulation.

Our ERA Real Estate agents can help you determine which are the most overlooked home features in your area when choosing the perfect new home for your family. Contact our team to learn more about our work with home buyers.

Homebuying for Parents: Getting the Most Home on a Budget for a Family

If your family is on a budget, you may think that you won’t be able to find a house in your price range that will please the kids and meet your needs.

But that’s not necessarily true. These tips can help make sure that buyers are getting the most home on a budget for families:

Consider an existing home

New homes can often cost more than already-existing ones, due to increases in the cost of materials over time. Look for an existing home, and you’ll have a wider variety of styles and price ranges to choose from without sacrificing quality.

Look beyond décor

To get the biggest bang for your buck, put a priority on things that are harder to change. For example, if the home has enough bedrooms, bathrooms, and square footage for your family, you can live with flooring or paint colors that aren’t your favorite. These fixes are relatively inexpensive and can be addressed later.

Prioritize family-friendly features

To make sure you’re getting the most home on a budget for families, put the emphasis on what will be important to you and your family. Sure, those granite countertops or skylights are nice, but for a family with children, a home in a friendly neighborhood with good schools and parks may be more valuable.

Consider the floor plan

Some floor plans lend themselves to a family spending time together. For example, an open floor plan can let you fix a meal in the kitchen and still talk to the kids, who may be spending time in the family room.

If you have very young children, you may prefer that the bedrooms be close together or at least on one level. But if your children are a little older, a split bedroom plan may provide a little more privacy.