Home shopping can at times be similar to wedding planning, and that’s because it takes months and months of preparation and planning to finally come to the big closing day. Of course we all want to think that we are purchasing our dream home or some major investment that can change our lives forever, and that’s probably true, but before you go about signing the final contracts you should be cognizant of the following five things that you should be looking for just to make sure that this home is the perfect home for you and your family.

Notice when a roof needs repair

This is something that you should look at right away before you even step inside the listing. Is the roof eye-catching? Does anything about it spike your interest in looking further into how safe it would be? Always know how old a roof is on a listing and the maintenance history of it, because this is something that can end up costing a lot more than you’d think, and sellers tend to try to get away with shot roofs.

Don’t judge any walls by the paint

Always remember that when you’re looking through a listing it’s going to be yours when you purchase it, and so even if you think the paint jobs in the listing are atrocious that doesn’t mean you can’t change it up to exactly the way you want it to be. The structural stuff of the home is what you need to focus on, not necessarily the aesthetics.

Notice the temperature

You should always be noticing things like the flooring and whether or not the home is capable of holding in heat and cooling systems properly. These are always really expensive to replace so if you notice any kind of inefficiency you should also realize that this could put a huge damper in your utility bills. Also make sure the furnace is working properly and isn’t too old.

Decide what’s a dealbreaker

There are always going certain basics that you can’t deal with like window quality and other appliance issues, but you should always keep certain things in mind like extra bedrooms and the overall layout of the home. Always remember that this home is supposed to be your place for potentially the rest of your life, so make sure it’s got everything you will want for the rest of your life and that you’re not missing out on something later on.

Plumbing: the guts of the home

You shouldn’t take in a home by what it looks like at eye level, and our esteemed Nashville plumber colleague always recommends that you look through the piping and check of leaks, any kind of water damage and mold. There can be some serious issues when it comes to the plumbing of listings and it can go by relatively unnoticed if you aren’t fully aware.