Ever wonder what it is that home-buyers want to know about the most? Maybe your a Real Estate Agent in Orange County or you are simply looking at purchasing a new home in Orange County and wondering what to look for. If so, here are the Top 5 things that new home-buyers usually look for:

1. Patio – This may not be the top focus, but it is definitely in the top 5. If you are selling a home with a patio, make sure to keep it looking nice and double check it for any structural issues. If you are looking at purchasing the home, look out for things like dry rot, mold, creaky boards and whether the patio has the potential to be affected by water.

2. Roof – Anyone who is serious about owning a home will take a look at the roof. Why? Because nobody wants a leaky roof, or worse. If you are selling your home, then you don’t have to do a complete renovation, but make sure that it looks structurally sound and if you notice any wet spots on the ceilings in your bedrooms, get it checked out. If you are looking to buy the home, look at the ceilings in the rooms, especially the top floor, if it is more than one story. If you notice an area with a dark ring around it, or you notice that the paint is a little raised up or the ceiling bows out a bit, it might be a good idea to take that into consideration.

3. Layout – Everyone has their preference on layout, but if you are selling a home, take into consideration what the current buying trends are considering layout and be able to help people who might be partial to a certain style. In this way, you can be better prepared to come up with solutions without tearing down walls and changing everything around. If you are buying a home, then sit down and determine what sort of layout you would like in a home. Do you want the kitchen and dining room to be separated by a partition or wall, or would you rather they flow together? Would you like a restroom attached to the master bedroom or would you rather have it down the hall? Solidify what you are looking for and it will help the process for you.

4. Indoor Decor – This is geared towards the Real Estate Agent and the home seller. When you are selling your home it is better to stick with neutral colors rather than the more eccentric colors. Your agent can help give you some insight into how you can stage your home to best sell, so employ their expertise and experience.

5. Infrastructure – This is the basic stuff like water, electricity, and heating. Make sure everything is in a good condition. No one wants to buy a house that has leaky or rusted pipes, light switches that are cracked or falling off the wall, or a heater or air conditioning that may need to be replaced in the near future. On that note, also keep in mind that the efficiency of the infrastructure is important as well. With the growing popularity of improving energy efficiency to save the environment and keep costs down, you may want to consider getting energy efficient modifications to your infrastructure and even look into things like solar paneling.

A final word to anyone selling a home (i.e. agents and/or sellers), as a general rule, make the home look the way you would want it to look if you were buying it for the first time. For buyers, take that time to sit down and figure out exactly what you are looking for in a home, then take off and go for it. Happy selling and happy house hunting!