5 Warning Signs to Watch for When You’re Touring Homes for Sale in Tampa Bay
When you’re going to tour homes for sale with your Tampa Bay REALTOR®, your agent will help you make the right choices for your next home – but with that said, here are five red flags you should watch for while you’re out looking.
5 Red Flags to Watch for When You’re Touring Homes for Sale in Tampa Bay
Though your REALTOR will catch any major issues, it doesn’t hurt to be on the lookout yourself. Check out these five red flags to watch for while you tour homes for sale in Tampa Bay:
- Overwhelming scents (good or bad)
- Poor tiling or messy hardwoods
- Sticking windows or doors
- Indications of water damage
- Signs that maintenance isn’t a priority
Scroll down for a closer look at each.
$239,900
Active
7107 Hernando Court Tampa, Florida
3 Beds 2 Baths 1,296 SqFt 0.02 Acres
$477,000
Pending
2308 Cape Bend Avenue Tampa, Florida
3 Beds 2 Baths 1,653 SqFt 0.36 Acres
$749,800
Active
12801 Stanwyck Circle Tampa, Florida
4 Beds 3 Baths 3,086 SqFt 0.23 Acres
$1,000,000
Active
3906 Floyd Road Tampa, Florida
5 Beds 3 Baths 3,787 SqFt 0.57 Acres
Warning Sign #1: Overwhelming Scents (Good or Bad)
It’s nice to tour a home that smells good – but if it smells too good, it could be a sign that the owner is trying to cover up something far worse. Sure, it’s natural to smell cleaning products in the bathrooms, laundry detergent in the laundry room, or even freshly baked cookies throughout the house (a lot of sellers use baked goods to make buyers feel at home). However, if you smell too much synthetic fragrance, such as wax warmers, diffusers, air fresheners and candles, the owner might be trying to distract you from pet urine, mold or a mildewy smell, or something else. Talk to your REALTOR to see if they’re experiencing the same qualms in a situation like this.
Warning Sign #2: Poor Tiling or Messy Hardwoods
When the tiles in the bathroom don’t quite line up or the hardwood floors don’t reach the wall properly, it could signal that the owner tried to pull off a DIY job. Although there’s nothing wrong with saving money by doing these types of jobs yourself, there is something wrong with doing them improperly. Seeing a poor flooring job can indicate that the current owner also took on other repair work or upgrades, so you should work with your REALTOR to find out what they may have done.
Related: 3 bathroom design trends that buyers hate
Warning Sign #3: Sticking Windows or Doors
When windows or doors aren’t easy to open, it can indicate that there’s a problem with a home’s foundation. It can also indicate that the windows and doors were installed improperly. Either way, both are pretty costly fixes (though fixing a foundation is far more expensive than having windows and doors reinstalled). You should talk to your REALTOR about your concerns – and you should absolutely open all the windows and doors in the house.
Related: How do you find the right lender to buy a home in Tampa Bay?
Warning Sign #4: Indications of Water Damage
Leaks in a home never get better if you ignore them – but they can become a lot worse very quickly. It’s important to be on the lookout for signs of water damage when you tour homes in Tampa Bay. Look for things like discolored rings on the ceilings and walls, mold or mildew growth, or blistering or bubbling paint. If you notice anything like those signs, you should talk to your REALTOR about what you’ve seen. Your agent can ask about the roof, burst pipes and other common causes of leaks.
Related: How to get more when you buy a new construction home
Warning Sign #5: Signs That Maintenance Isn’t a Priority
Homeowners who take care of their homes hand you a more valuable set of keys than those who don’t. Check for signs of deferred maintenance, like an overgrown (or dead) yard, burned-out lightbulbs and chirping smoke detectors. These are all signs that home maintenance isn’t the current owner’s priority – and that can indicate that you’re dealing with a homeowner who’s let repairs go untouched for too long.
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