5 Questions You Should Ask When Buying a San Diego House

There is a lot of advice out there right now encouraging buyers to move quickly when buying a San Diego house. There are many San Diego areas that are experiencing seller’s markets which make competition high for buyers.

However, buying a San Diego house is a big deal and you don’t want to be pushed into making a decision. You need to make sure that you have all the information that you should before placing an offer.

Here are five questions that you should ask before putting in an offer and buying a San Diego house.

1. How will you handle contingencies?

There are a number of different contingencies that can be placed on a purchase agreement. Some pros encourage buyers to remove something in order to make your offer stand out among the competition. But, there are some contingencies that you need to have in place to protect yourself and your earnest money deposit.

Instead of trying to guess what contingencies you need to have on the deal and which ones are no big deal, do some research on what will and will not work with sellers.

2. What’s the situation in the neighborhood?

When buying a San Diego house, it is important that buyers know what’s happening in the neighborhood. It will be important to understand how the local economy is doing, what the trends are, and if there is any new developments coming in. It will also be important to know if the values of the homes have been increasing or decreasing in the area along with what amenities are available.

3. Can I see the sale’s history of the house?

When you look at the sales history of a San Diego house it gives you an overall picture of what has happened at the house. You’ll be able to see if it’s been leased in the past, if it was an expired listing previously, and if it was ever foreclosed on.

4. Are there any assessments coming up?

If you are buying a San Diego house that is within a homeowner’s association or condominium, you will need to find out the information about the HOA fees and any assessments that will be coming soon. This will be additional payments that you need to make, and you’ll want to know information like that before committing to buying a San Diego house.

5. Can you recommend a local [fill in the blank]?

If you’re moving to a new area, you may want the name of a good handyman or home inspector. Your real estate agent should have these types of connections already lined up and should know reliable people that they can refer you to.

The last question that you should consider asking your real estate agent is, “Would you buy this house?” Once you ask this question, carefully watch their response. If they have to carefully think before answering that means that there may be something that they feel uneasy about if they would be making the offer themselves. If you get this feeling, ask them about it.

Buying a San Diego house is a big commitment and one you should think through before rushing into. Take the time to do your research, explore your options, and ask as many questions as you need in order to feel comfortable with your decision.