We Tried to Sell Our Home by Owner

When you're on the lookout for the right property to purchase for your new home, you need to go through a lot of different property listings to find the perfect option.

Scanning through property listings online is a great way to quickly screen a lot of different properties and decide which ones are worth putting the time into attending a showing for. 

The following are six pieces of information you'll want to find on each and every property listing you look at before making a final decision on whether or not to pursue the property.

Address

The first piece of information you're probably going to be looking at is the address. This will tell you what neighborhood the property is located in. The address also gives you the information you need to drive by the property and check it out in person before a showing if you want.

Neighborhood is important. Once you know the neighborhood, you can check out the crime rate statistics to get an idea of the safety of the area. You can also see what school district the property is located in. This information is important if you have children in your household you'll be sending to school. 

Number of bedrooms and bathrooms

You probably already have an idea of the number of bedrooms you need based on how many individuals are in your household. The number of bathrooms is also an important consideration because everyone in the household will need to share a limited amount of bathrooms. 

Square footage

In addition to considering the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, you should also consider square footage. Square footage gives you a better idea of the overall size than simply knowing how many bedrooms there are.

You should also look at the individual square footage of important rooms like the living room and kitchen to get an idea of the size of key living areas and how many guests you'll be able to accommodate for holidays and special events. 

Asking price

Look at the asking price, but remember that the closing price is generally going to be less than the asking price. You don't necessarily want to be discouraged by a moderately high asking price, because you'll probably be able to negotiate this down somewhat. 

Age

The property listing should mention what the age of the property in question is. This is important to know because an older age will imply that you may need to invest in repairs and renovations in the near future. 

Acreage

If a spacious yard is important to you, you'll want to pay attention to the acreage. In the United States, a standard yard size for a home is roughly a quarter of an acre.

However, average lawn sizes differ significantly in size by geographic region and by state. It's a good idea to know what yard size you want and/or need specifically before you start scanning property listings.