Importance of Site Visits when Investing in Real Estate and Buying or Building a Home
It is always wise to know your destination, site visits are important in making sure you make the best decision on where you want to settle. They give you a sneak peek of what you will get and experience.
Emomeri Maryanne
Site visits can be for various purposes, there could be a specific house or piece of land that you would like to buy or rent and so you have to check it out. It could be that you are yet to decide which one to settle on, so you go round trying to choose the best one. You might be building and you have hired someone to oversee the project, you still need to visit and see how things are on the construction site. It could also be just for motivating yourself to own a home or an apartment.
Importance of Site Visits when:
- Buying a home and choosing a home to buy
When buying a home, it is good to know exactly what you want. By visiting the site, you can now if everything you need is provided. For example, water and electricity being important factors, are they provided? If there’s no steady supply how do people cope? And can you put up with that?
Be enlightened on what is being offered, and the extra costs like garbage collection. Will there be a standby generator? Is there a swimming pool and a kids’ play area? Is there ample parking space? If it’s a fully-furnished apartment which brand and quality are the equipment? Do they resonate with your lifestyle? Will you be comfortable with the cost of maintenance?
You can also check to see if the roads are passable and see if social amenities are close by. With the current “working at home” set-up, most people will prefer homes with Wi-Fi.
- Building a home or an apartment
Having a project manager or a supervisor on your construction site should not make you relax and wait for your complete house as you dish out money. This is the reason behind frustrated homeowners. They complain about so many things, but site visits can help with this.
The first thing you will look out for is if the builders are following your design plan. Noting a change in the design early will help change things before it becomes too late to do so.
Visiting the site helps verify the quality of construction. You will be able to determine if the materials used are of the right standard and if they meet the budget that was allocated.
You can also check the progress of the project, is it timely? Or are things going too slow or too fast? Get to understand why.
- You want to be motivated
You may just be starting out in your career or have just developed a passion for real estate and you want to develop your building plan. You may be retiring soon and you would like to build a home. Site visits can be a great starting point on your journey.
The visit will give you a picture of what the real estate business entails. You will learn some of the best home/apartment features, you will see how some of them have incorporated technology. You can even get ideas on some architectural designs and learn so many things by asking questions.
The visits will motivate you to work smart and built your own home and invest in an apartment.
Most real estate companies and The Property Show offer site visits and bus tours for real estate investors. You will have an opportunity to view a wide range of property including land. You will meet other people who probably have a better understanding of the industry and they can guide you.
With COVID- 19 in the picture, physical site visits have been hampered and you may be tempted to consider online site visits through videos. If you decide to do online visits, once you settle on what you want, do a physical visit first before engaging the seller further.
