Buyer’s remorse. It’s a dreaded thought, and even more daunting when you’re buying a home. Purchasing a house requires a large investment, and even if buying a mobile home saves you several thousands of dollars, there is still a level of risk. This will be the place your family calls home for, perhaps, many years to come.
Naturally, you want to avoid buyer’s remorse and settle into a mobile home that you actually love. We’ve rounded up a few helpful tips and created a checklist to help you make the wisest decision you possibly can. Let’s dive in!
#1 Price
Now taking note of the home’s price might seem obvious. But what if you find a house after weeks or months of searching and decide it’s easier to compromise rather than stay within the price range you truly want? Say you found a great home, it’s newer than the others you’ve looked at, and you can see yourself living in it already! But it’s well out of your price range. You decided on a specific budget earlier in the house hunting process, but now you’re thinking of paying extra just to have a place to call home.
Just as buyer’s remorse is a reality, so is buyer’s fatigue. Don’t leave behind the budget just because you’re tired. You’ll look back and regret it. Maybe the home is everything you hoped it would be. But chances are it won’t be. If you wait patiently for the right place, you’ll sleep better at night knowing that you got a good deal with a little financial wiggle room. You’ll know you didn’t blow your budget and leave yourself nothing to spend on repairs or renovations you may discover are needed.
#2 Roof
Being 100% comfortable with the condition of the home’s roof is a must. Don’t gloss over this one. Leaks are downright annoying, and so is paying a few thousand dollars next month to replace the roof altogether.
#3 Siding
Getting new siding is an even bigger job than getting a roof. Plus it’s expensive and time-consuming. Unless you have money for it in your budget, your best bet is buying a home that has good siding and that suits your style. The best homes have siding that has been replaced within the past couple of years.
Don’t think you’ll be happy with dirty yellow siding from back in the ’80s, because you won’t be. You’ll come to hate the sight of your home, and that’s never good!
#4 Paint and flooring
If outside aesthetics are important, inside aesthetics are even more so. After all, you don’t constantly have to eat, sleep, relax, and work outside. Not only are looks important, but cleanliness is too. Old, cruddy floors and walls won’t make you feel at home. Even if it is slightly out of date, find a home that has clean walls in a color you like and has well-kept, solid floors. Keep in mind that if a home has carpet, there’s a good chance you’ll be pulling it up eventually. Almost everyone does. So be sure the floors underneath are in good condition before you buy the house.
#5 Yard
Having a yard that suits your needs and offers enough space for whatever you want to do in it is something you need to think about right at the beginning. Maybe you’re planning on installing a patio or putting in an outdoor kitchen or setting up a swing set. Be sure the yard provides enough space to do these things. If you can see that the yard will be too small to accommodate your plans, yet you’re willing to compromise, think again. On the other hand, don’t go with a yard that’s too big for your needs either. If it seems like it’s going to be a pain to mow all the area surrounding your prospective home, you might want to move on.
#6 Doors and windows
Old windows that get stuck while you’re opening them or doors in styles that you hate are harder to deal with than you might think. Even if doors and windows seem trivial compared to the bigger contenders like home price and paint color, they have the power to bring on buyer’s remorse in a big way.
#7 Lighting
Good lighting is essential. Sometimes new home buyers think, “Oh, we can put in recessed lighting in a few years!” Little do they realize what a big job it is. It might get done eventually, but you’re going to jump a lot of hurdles to get there. It might be better to buy a home that already has good natural and artificial lighting and save yourself the headache.
#8 Appliances
In this modern age, appliances do most of our hard work around the house. Cooking and washing clothes are two of the things we do daily with appliances to help us out. Unless you’re going to bring in your own appliances, be sure the existing ones work and work well. Check every burner on the stove and be sure the washer can handle large loads of your family’s clothing!
#9 Storage space
Cabinets and closets are two things you’ll miss if you move into your new mobile home and realize that you don’t have enough of them. Choose a home with storage that fits your needs. A family with kids will need more closet space than an older couple will. Be sure the home is big enough to accommodate dressers and other storage units as well.
Buy wisely and avoid disappointment
We hope this checklist will aid you in buying a mobile home that you’ll love. Avoid buyer’s remorse by being a shrewd and savvy mobile home buyer. Check the essentials off the list, compromising where necessary, but without giving up on vital features. And where you can’t or shouldn’t compromise, simply move on to the next home on the list. To gather more tips for your homebuying journey take a look at these Eight Things You Need To Know As A Smart Mobile Homeowner.
About EZ Homes Design Team
