Home Buyer's Checklist

This checklist identifies the important factors you should consider when selecting a home .

In addition to your house being affordable, you will also want to be sure that it and the neighborhood it is located in meet the needs of your family.

For instance, if you have children, you may want to know if there is a quality school nearby or if there are other children in the neighborhood. Or if you work, the distance and travel time to and from your place of employment or the availability of public transportation may be of concern to you.

You may already know the type and size of home that you would like to purchase, but there are many other features that you will want to consider before deciding to buy a particular house. Take this checklist along when you go shopping for your house. It will help you evaluate the neighborhoods and the availability and condition of various features of up to three homes in a side-by-side comparison.

Checklist Comparison

Home #1 Home #2 Home #3

Asking price
Real estate taxes

The Neighborhood

Near school
Near work
Near churches
Near shopping
Near expressways
Near public transportation
Near doctors/dentists
Garbage collection
Traffic volume
Street lights
Sidewalks
Streets well maintained
Parks
Neighbors' yards maintained
All utilities installed
Neighborhood covenants or restrictions
Near train tracks/airport
Area zoned residential
Near industry
Flooding danger
Proposed special assessments
Restrictive easements


The House
Age of the house
Number of stories
Wood frame
Brick frame
Wood and brick frame
Aluminum siding
Roof condition
Foundation condition
Overall exterior condition
Garage size
Number of bathrooms
Number of closets
Number of bedrooms
Oil heat
Gas heat
Electric heat
Hot water heat
Insulation
Central air conditioning
Energy conservation features
Age of heating system
Age of hot water heater
Capacity of hot water heater
Age of electrical wiring
Plumbing condition
Estimated water bill
Estimated heating bill
Estimated electric bill
Living room
Fireplace
Separate dining room
Family room
Window coverings - # of rooms
Carpeting - # of rooms
Kitchen eating area
Refrigerator
Stove/oven (gas/electric)
Garbage disposal
Dishwasher
Broken windows
Storm windows/screens
Washer/dryer outlets
Laundry space
Finished basement
Attic
Sump pump/drainage
Connected to sewer system
Patio
Backyard fence
Landscaping
Property boundaries
Security (dead bolt locks, smoke detectors)
Building code compliance (remodels & additions)
Ability to expand or enlarge house
OTHER: