5 Reasons I Would Never, Ever Buy a House Without Seeing It in Person

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Many things can be bought before you see them with minimal risk — but a house isn’t one. Find out why you shouldn’t buy before you visit. 

Buying a house is a huge decision, not only because of the cost — hello, six-figure mortgage! — but also because, well, you’re going to live there, probably for a long time.

Unfortunately, the housing markets in many areas are still facing inventory shortages, so properties are moving exceptionally fast (and with multiple offers). This can sometimes tempt buyers into skipping important steps — like, you know, actually visiting the house in person.

No matter what the market is doing or how fast things are moving, I don’t think anyone should put an offer on a house they haven’t seen. At the absolute least, you need to visit the property, in person at least once before you complete the sale. Here are a few reasons why.

1. Photos can bend the truth — or outright lie

As we’ve all learned from social media, a photo is an easy thing to manipulate, and I’m not just talking about photo editing software. How and when you take a photo can completely change the way the subject looks.

It’s a terrible idea to rely on photos, or even video, to see if a house may suit your needs. For one thing, you may not get the whole picture — literally. Stains, cracks, and broken items are easy to hide from photographs. Home listings can even skip entire rooms.

Additionally, scale is very hard to properly gauge through even an honest photograph, let alone ones specifically angled to make rooms look bigger. And everything from the lighting to the lens can change how large or small a room looks on a recording.

2. Location, location, location

If you wind up with some bad paint or a poor layout, you can probably fix it. But what about the location? It’s the one thing you can’t fix about a property no matter what you do. So you really need to show up and take a look at it all in person.

On your way to the house, take in the neighborhood. Are there trees? Are the roads busy? Do the houses look cared for and well maintained? If possible, swing back through the neighborhood after dark and on the weekend so you can see how busy it is when everyone is at home.

And, of course, you need to scope out the neighbors themselves. Once you own the home, moving gets a lot more complicated; you’re going to want to get an idea of what you’re taking on.

3. The smells and sounds are part of the house

With a really thorough video walkthrough and some great pictures, you might be able to get a decent idea of the size and layout of the house. But what about your other senses?

Until they perfect smell-i-vision, you won’t know about the house’s olfactory quirks. It may smell musty — or, worse, moldy — or reek of smoke. You can tell a lot about the history of a place by how it smells.

You always want to know how it sounds. Unless you’re carrying about a professional microphone, a video isn’t going to give you the full sound story. The neighbors may be loud, you may get street noise, or the house could be near the airport. Maybe the floors creak or the furnace knocks. All these little sounds will be part of the package, so it’s good to know about them upfront.

4. The inspection is vital, and I want to be there

Sometimes, touring before making an offer just doesn’t work. Maybe you’re buying out of state and simply can’t get there in time. I get it; life is, well, life. Even if I couldn’t tour the home before I’m under contract, however, I’d still need to see the place at least once because I couldn’t miss the inspection.

Getting a home inspection is extremely important before buying property. This is when you get to learn about all of the potential problems, from the big stuff — which you may want the buyer to fix — to the little bits of maintenance you’ll need to put on your own to-do list.

After the inspection, you’ll get a full written report about all the things that were found. But absolutely nothing beats walking the property with your inspector so you can get their firsthand impressions and ask your own questions.

5. It has to feel like home

In my opinion, one of the most important reasons to visit a house in person is to see if it feels like home. You know, you need to check its vibe, tune to its mojo. And yes, I know it sounds a bit like mumbo-jumbo, but I bet you still know what I mean.

A house can meet all of your needs on paper, but you walk in and it’s just not right. I toured many homes that met my online search parameters. But the one I chose in the end was the one that felt like home.

I’m definitely not saying you should make your home purchase based entirely on emotions, or some nebulous “feeling.” But, for me at least, it was certainly a factor.

I’ll buy a lot of things without seeing them in person first. Shoes, toothpaste, artisanal potato chips. But I’d never buy a house without visiting it first, and I definitely don’t suggest you do so, either.

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