What are the most important cosmetic features to you in buying a home (not brand new).?

Tell me if you notice things like:


carpet


window treatments


fixtures and faucets


lighting, fans etc.


paint


landscaping....and how important these are in making the home appealing to you.





Thanks!What are the most important cosmetic features to you in buying a home (not brand new).?
I would look at the structure of the house first. If it has a good foundation, roof, layout, etc. If the floor creaks or the house makes noise, it may not have a good foundation and you are better off looking elsewhere.





Make sure to get a home inspection if you are serious about buying. This could save you from making a terrible mistake.





Be sure you like the layout. It costs a lot of money to move a wall or make a room bigger. Carpet, window treatments, faucets and stuff like that are nice, but they are cheap to replace. Only a couple of hundred dollars for a nice faucet compared to thousands to move a wall.





Also make sure the home you choose has room to expand if you decide to do so in the future.





The things I look at first are the structure, and roof, and I check out the home inspection report very carefully. If that checks out, the floorplan must meet my needs. Then it is a plus to have a nice kitchen, bathrooms, and spacious rooms. Nice landscaping is something to look at as well. I also look at the neighborhood- how the neighbors are and how well they take care of their homes, landscaping. I look at the schools since I have kids and see how they fare in the district.


I hope this helps.What are the most important cosmetic features to you in buying a home (not brand new).?
I would look at kitchens and baths the most. Recently updated baths and kitchens would definitely score more points. Lighting is also another issues.





Unless the seller had very similar taste to mine, I would more than likely update paint and carpet.
Cosmetics, when SELLING are designed for appeal certainly. Most often however a new owner has other ideas.





Certainly CURB APPEAL is primary.





Interiors are less important cosmetically because of what I suggested above. The issues should be the structure, it's viablity, its plumbing, wiring, heating/AC, major appliances if they are what you might want to keep, taxes, neighbors, conveneience to places, and on, and on.





It seems to me that no answer here will truly be right, or wrong, we all have different opinions, but I know I want to BUY something that will last, and hopefully I've researched that beyond just the ';cosmetics'; CUZ I promise you,,,You're gonna make changes according to your own thoughts.





Rev. Steven
For the best value home, I wouldn't look so much at the cosmetic stuff as I would the layout and the structure itself. If you don't plan on doing major renovations to a home, you are better off finding a house that has the exact floor plan you want than to buy a house that has nice window treatments. Imagin the home as a blank slate that you can customize to your tastes after you move in. Buying a new faucet is cheaper than moving a wall!
It depends on the price of the house and how good of a deal I'm getting. If the price is low, cosmetic things are not important. However, if the price is at market or above, I'm looking for perfection in all the things you mentioned.
laundry on same floor as bedrooms
If you are only looking at the cosmetics of a house just remember that alot of structural damage can be covered by cosmetic fixes, you can alwyas re paint and fix up the cosmetics of a house if the house has a sound structure, so I look for the structural things, good foundation and roof, plumbing, etc.