One More Reason To "Love Thy Neighbour"

Buying a house can be a daunting endeavour. For most people, it is the biggest investment they'll ever make in their lifetime. No one wants to buy a property with deficiencies but can you always count on the seller to be forthcoming with that type of information, especially if it's serious enough to potentially kill the sale or warrant a significant reduction in price?

One tip I've recently picked up is to encourage buyers to talk to the neighbours. Knock on their door or get their phone number (your agent should be able to find out this information for you). A lot of the time, if there is something wrong with the house you're considering purchasing, the neighbours will be aware of it. Sometimes, it's because they too are having similar problems (as can be the case with water potability or flooding) or they've actually seen evidence of a potential problem (i.e. a well driller's truck parked in the driveway of a home with a dug well could indicate a lack of adequate water supply). This will also give you the opportunity to break the ice with your prospective neighbours, to find out what kind of people they are and decide if you can picture living beside them in harmony.

Of course, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't still do your own due diligence by having a home inspection but it does provide one other avenue to gain valuable information about the property before you sign on the dotted line.

‘Till next time,

Paula