Boise Real Estate Blog

Our hot real estate market is encouraging some Meridian Idaho home buyers to buy homes sight-unseen.

I know because I recently worked with a very excited California buyer who found another Realtor^® who told them a better story than mine.

(I always lose out to other Realtors^® with better stories because I’m boring, methodical, and forthcoming about the homes I help my clients buy!)

After two weeks of advising them what to do and (mostly) what not to do, they bought a Meridian Idaho home that they had seen on the internet, sight-unseen, from another agent.

Buying sight-unseen raises all sorts of issues, including:

• What does the home really look like ~ inside and out?
• Is it in good condition, or is it a rental property that has been trashed by several past tenants?
• Is the home a lipstick-on-a-pig remodel, done by amateurs who failed to get the required permits and did everything on the cheap?
• Is it in pride-of-ownership condition, or has that fragrant cat pee in the carpet been masked by repeated applications of Febreze?
• Is the home on, or backing to a busy street?
• Is the home near a school that will generate more traffic?
• Is the home near a fire station that will provide soothing siren noises in the middle of the night?
• Will the adjoining street be widened to accommodate more traffic in the future?
• What does the neighborhood look like?
• Are most of the nearby homes owner-occupied, or mostly rental properties owned by absentee owners who haven’t seen them in the past two years?
• Is the home under the flight path for the Boise airport?
• If so, are you familiar with the approach/departure paths for the airport, depending upon weather conditions?
• Which school district is the home located in?
• Is the home on sewer or does it have a septic tank?
• Does the home have city water, or does it rely upon a private well for drinking water?
• How old are the major components of the home, including the roof, HVAC, appliances, water heater, carpet, and other items?
• Has the home been remediated for crawlspace water or mold?
• Have all owners signed the listing paperwork?
• Can the seller deliver clear title at closing?
• What are comparable homes selling for near the subject property?
• How long has the home been on the market?
• Why is the seller selling the home?

I could go on and on and on, but you get the idea.

Don’t let an over-stimulated Realtor^® whip you into a buying frenzy and buy a Meridian Idaho home sight-unseen!

FWIW, I don’t do sight-unseen sales with my buyers.

You’ll need to see the home you buy before I will write an offer for you.

BTW – That home I mentioned above was painted glossy Royal Blue and located near a major, busy road.  I would have recommended against buying it if I had continued working with that buyer.

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