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Style
(bungalow, raised bungalow, split level, 1 1/2 or 2 story,
contemporary etc )
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Type
( Semi, link,
detached, condominium, fully owned, commercial, waterfront, farm )
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Basement
(slab, crawlspace,
partial, full unfinished, full partially finished, full fully
finished, walkout or walkup)
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Square
Footage ( heated
square footage above ground, plus finished square footage below
ground. Even Realtors can't agree how to measure square footage on
the second floor of a 1 1/2 story house with sloped ceilings. Don't panic.)
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Bedrooms
( Number above
ground, number below ground. Conventional wisdom is that if it
doesn't have a built-in closet it is not a bedroom. Century homes
have no bedrooms under that criteria. If it's private sleeping space,
count it as a bedroom. )
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Bathrooms:
counted as "pieces" ( every place water comes out is a
piece.) Sink, toilet and shower stall is a 3-piece bathroom. Sink,
toilet and tub with shower spout is a 4-piece bathroom. So is a
bathroom with a separate stall shower and a soaker tub - builders are
now putting a "toe tester" in the shower stall so the tub
can be counted as a 5th piece. A powder room, half bath, and 2 piece
bath are all the same thing. An ensuite bathroom is one that is
contained in a bedroom. A semi-ensuite opens to the master bedroom
but is also the main bathroom for the house with a door leading to
the bedroom hallway.
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Main
Floor Family Room (Family
space in addition to Living room, sometimes called above ground rec room)
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Main
Floor Laundry Room
(washer and drier on main floor but popular on second floor of 2
story). Mud-rooms are rare in our market area but have great value =
MF laundry room combined with clothing storage and a 1/2 bathroom at
an entrance.
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Garage
(counted as parking
spaces within walls and under a roof - single (10' wide), 1 1/2 (15'
wide), double (20' wide) or more, or oversized if not those sizes,
bonus $ if includes "shop" facilities or storage loft.
Carports attract fewer dollars but are still preferable to no garage
at all. INSIDE ENTRANCES from the garage to the house are a bonus,
especially if into a room near the kitchen rather than at the front
of the home.
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Exterior
Surface (All-brick,
brick and other, vinyl, aluminum, wood, stone, synthetic stone, moon
rocks. You see it all. A real brick home, such as those old
farmhouses, is actually two walls of brick separated by an airspace.
"Brick" generally is accepted to mean a cosmetic brick
layer over today's conventional timberframe construction.)
-
Heating
and Air Conditioning (How
is it heated? Does the furnace have an air-exchanger or other
special features? Any fireplaces? Central Air?)
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Age
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Lot
Size (It should be
on your survey in the pile of papers the lawyer gave you when you bought.)
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Services
(Are you on city water and sewer or on a well and septic, or some combination?)
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Your
Price ( It lets me
know how realistic your expectations are and how much you know about
the current market. If your price is $50,000 too low, I'll bring a
bottle of champagne to the viewing. )
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Urgency
(Just how fast do u
want to move? The ones who make money on a deal are the ones who can
say, we think we'll wait for something better. The ones who never
sell are the ones waiting for the deal that is perfect for only them. ) |
