Home Tours

For many who are entering the homebuying process, touring homes is one of the most exciting elements to look forward to. This is also a vital opportunity for you to learn more about homes you may consider, from their main qualities to any issues they have, and you should be both diligent and detailed while taking such tours.

At Altius Mortgage and our partners with Mortgage Ogden, our team is happy to assist clients with a number of elements of the homebuying process, including arming our clients with pre-approval and other forms of purchasing power before they begin their home search. What are some basic elements to consider as you’re touring homes? Here are a few.

Things to Look For

As you’re touring any prospective home for sale, some basic elements to look out for include:

• General quality: Is the home in good condition? Are there any obvious signs of damage, wear and tear, or neglect?
• Layout: Does the home have a floorplan that would work for your needs? How is the flow from room to room?
• Natural light: Is there enough natural light throughout the home?
• Storage: Does the home have enough storage space for your needs?
• Functionality: Are the home’s features and appliances in good working order, or would they need to be replaced?
• Any potential issues: Are there any potential red flags, such as a small lot size, lack of privacy, or noise from a nearby highway?

What to Ask

In addition to paying attention to specific visual cues, there are also some key questions you should ask while touring any prospective home, including:

• How long has the home been on the market?
• What is the seller’s motivation for selling?
• Has the home undergone any recent renovations or updates?
• What are the property taxes like?
• Is there anything that would need to be fixed or replaced soon?

By being both observant and inquisitive while touring homes, you can get a much better sense of both the positive and negative aspects of each property, and be in a better position to make an informed decision about whether or not to make an offer.

Being Pre-Approved or Pre-Qualified

While it’s not technically a hard and fast requirement, being pre-approved or pre-qualified for a mortgage before beginning your home search can give you a number of advantages.

For starters, having a mortgage pre-approval in hand lets sellers know that you’re serious about buying a home, and that you have the financial backing to do so. This can be helpful in situations where there are multiple offers on a property.

Additionally, being pre-qualified or pre-approved can help you better understand how much home you can afford, which can in turn help focus and streamline your search. At Altius Mortgage, we offer free pre-qualifications, so it’s easy to get started.

If you’re considering purchasing a home in the near future, the first step is to reach out to a qualified mortgage lender like Altius Mortgage to get started. We’ll be happy to answer any of your questions and help you navigate every step of the homebuying process.

Looking to learn more about this? We have several other quality resources for those entering the home tour stage of their homebuying process: