Don't Be Distracted By These Issues When You're Looking for a House

When you've gotten pre-approved for a mortgage loan and started your house hunt, you need to make a careful plan. You want to buy the right home, so you want to look at the right things during your real estate search. 

Unfortunately, many people end up distracted by the wrong features and could miss out on a great house because of it. Here are a few issues you should absolutely not get distracted by as you search for a place of your own.

1.  Bad landscaping

Dead bushes, overgrown grass, and weedy mulch can make a house look really bad. But, they are also very easy things to fix. In fact, the average front yard landscaping project is typically priced between $1,275 and $5,876 but you could do it for much less if you DIY some or all aspects of the job. 

Don't let bad curb appeal scare you away from a home when you could fix the issue easily -- especially since your actual ability to live in and enjoy the house won't be affected without the upgrades. 

2. Ugly paint colors

A bad paint job can make an entire home look terrible. But whether you're faced with a weird mural, a dark color that sucks the life out of the room, or an overly personalized paint job you hate, you can fix it with a few gallons of paint and a brush. So, look beyond the ugly walls when assessing a home's potential. 

3. Stained carpets 

Stained carpets can make a home look icky, for lack of a better and more descriptive word. That's why they are such a big turnoff. No one wants to live with someone else's stains and dirt -- especially those mysterious stains you can't quite identify.

But, tearing out carpet isn't a huge or expensive project, especially relative to what it costs to buy a house. You could replace the carpet or even switch to hardwood or luxury vinyl tile to give the house a new updated look.

Since this is easy to change and won't require doing anything drastic, like cutting walls or moving plumbing, you should not pass up a perfectly good house just because of issues with the flooring material.

4. Dated countertops 

Finally, dated countertops can make a kitchen look like it is in need of a major remodel -- especially since the popularity of HGTV house-hunting shows probably have you convinced that living with Formica countertops is a fate worse than death. 

But, you can replace countertops with granite, quartz, or even marble for a few thousand dollars in most cases -- or less if you have smaller counters and can get by with remnants. If you don't need new cabinets and a full kitchen remodel isn't in order, you shouldn't be worried that replacing dated countertops will break the bank.

Ultimately, these four issues are all easily fixable for an affordable sum, so don't focus on them when looking at homes even though they can make a big impression. Instead, look at the bones of the house, the floor plan, the location, and the view -- since those are things you can't change.