How to Buy a House in Utah: 5 Tips

The process of buying a new home can be a rollercoaster of emotions. There’s excitement, happiness, frustration and so much more. To help make things a little easier, we’ve come up with some important things to be aware of if you’re looking to buy a house in Utah.

5 Easy to Follow Tips to Buy A House in Utah

Read Between the Lines (And Cracks)

Cracks in a wall can occur for a number of reasons. Things like moisture, weather, heavy objects, and poor installation are just a few reasons cracks can appear. 

People selling homes have plenty of tricks up their sleeves when it comes to hiding imperfections on a house. Check for mismatched paint spots that could be covering cracks in the wall. This can give you a clue to how well the house has been kept. 

Water damage can also be covered by paint which can create even more problems for you down the road. Concealing water damage locks in the moisture thus leading to more mold in the future. Black mold is unhealthy to breathe so it not only creates problems for your house but also your health and you definitely don’t want that in your new home.

Rolling, Rolling, Gone

Bring a marble or other rolling ball to test the floor of the home. This will help you determine if a home has slanted or warped flooring. 

This may seem like overkill to some people, but if you’re going to commit to living in a house for the next few years, you might as well make sure you’re getting exactly what you want. 

Sure, uneven flooring might not be noticeable to the naked eye but it can cause problems (just like mold) down the road. 

Uneven floors aren’t just an issue for looks and function. If a house has slanted floors it could mean that the foundation is weak, there are leaks coming from pipes underneath and could jeopardize your safety if you end up living there.

So be that person. Bring the marble, check for slants and be assured that you’re getting a house with a solid floor. 

Sniff Them Out

Sometimes older homes will have some funky smells. These odd scents can come from mold, previous tenants that may have smoked and water damage just to name a few. So of course, if there are some weird smells, the seller is going to want to cover them up. 

In order to hide funky smells, house sellers may use tactics like lighting candles, baking bread, opening all the windows and boiling water with cinnamon sticks to hide a bad smell. 

Keep in mind, sometimes people will use these tricks to make a potential buyer feel more at ease, so they’re not necessarily always trying to hide something. 

So how can you sniff out the house to ensure there are no weird smells? You’re in luck if you yourself have a great sense of smell. But if you don’t, you may be able to find a talented friend that’s able to sniff out anything. They’ll be able to tell you if there’s something off about the smell of the house.

Listen Up!

Depending on the location of the home, some sellers may try to distract buyers from a noisy street, airplanes flying overhead or trains passing through by playing music or blasting the AC. 

To get a sense of what things will really sound like in the house, you can ask the seller to turn off any music or white noise that’s being created. In that moment, you’ll be able to hear exactly what is causing the noise and decide if that will impact your decision to continue with the purchase of the home. 

Previous Owners

Similar to buying a car, you’ll want to know how many people have owned the home in the past. There should be some red flags if several people have owned the home in the past 10 years. 

Of course, sometimes people will have to move due to a change in a job or finances. But if there are multiple people moving in and out of a home at an abnormal rate, that could mean there are some things that are wrong with the house. 

It’s also important to find out if previous owners were smokers because that may make a significant difference. Buying a home that someone previously smoked in can cause staining, leave a smell, provide a risk of third-hand smoke (when the residue of the smoke contaminates indoor structures) and can affect the resale value of a home. 

Buy A New Home With McArthur Homes

Now is the best time to buy a house in Utah, but purchasing a new house is a big decision to make. 

With McArthur Homes, you don’t have to worry if you’re getting a quality home or not. McArthur Homes has been building houses in Utah since 1993 and has experience building over 3,000 homes. Let them take the stress out of house hunting for you by showing you homes that cater to all of your needs. You’ll know that each house from McArthur Homes has been built to the highest of standards. 

And if you’re not finding the house that you absolutely love, McArthur Homes can present floor plans to pick from that will make the decision easier. Once you have a floor plan selected, you can make some adjustments and have the home of your dreams!

Contact us today to get started and see why we are the premier home builder in Utah!

Categorized in: Why Own

This post was written by Brandon Doyle