By The Liz Clark Team
The moment between finding a home you love and submitting an offer is one of the most consequential in the buying process. In the Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy, and Germantown market, where you are often considering older homes with long histories and where competitive situations can create pressure to move quickly, the questions you ask before submitting matter. Here are the top questions to ask before making an offer on a home.
Key Takeaways
- Understanding why the seller is moving and how long the property has been on the market provides context that directly affects how an offer should be structured and what terms a seller is likely to accept
- In older Philadelphia-area homes, the age and condition of major systems determine what the property will actually cost beyond the purchase price
- HOA status, deed restrictions, and open permits or violations can significantly affect what a buyer can do with a property and should be understood before submitting
- In the historic districts of Chestnut Hill and Northwest Philadelphia, specific restrictions govern what modifications can be made to a property
What Is the Seller's Timeline and Motivation?
Understanding why a seller is moving and what timeline works for them shapes every aspect of a competitive offer. A seller who has already relocated and needs to close quickly will respond differently than one waiting to find their next home. A seller who has turned down multiple offers may be holding out for specific terms different from what the listing suggests.
This information is not always shared directly, but an experienced buyer's agent knows how to find the signals. These include how long the property has been listed, whether price reductions have occurred, whether it was previously under contract, and what the days-on-market history looks like.
Questions to Ask About Seller Motivation and Timeline
- How long has the property been on the market, and have there been any price reductions?
- Has the property been under contract before, and if so, what happened?
- What is the seller's preferred closing timeline?
- Is the seller planning to include or exclude any fixtures, appliances, or other items in the sale?
What Do the Major Systems Look Like?
In Chestnut Hill and Northwest Philadelphia, where many of the most appealing homes are 80 to 150 years old, the condition of major systems is one of the most important financial questions a buyer faces.
A charming Victorian can have a roof approaching end of life, knob-and-tube electrical that requires full replacement, and original cast iron plumbing that works until it does not. Understanding the approximate age and condition of these systems before submitting helps a buyer decide whether the price reflects reality and what to expect from the inspection.
Questions to Ask About a Property's Major Systems
- How old is the roof, and when was it last inspected or replaced?
- What type of electrical system does the home have, and has it been updated?
- How old is the HVAC system, and when was it last serviced?
- What are the plumbing materials, and is there any known history of water damage or moisture issues?
Are There Any Open Permits, Violations, or Liens?
An open permit from a prior renovation means work was started and never formally closed out by the city, which can create issues at closing, affect the ability to refinance, and in some cases mean work was done without final inspection confirmation.
A lien must be resolved before title can transfer cleanly. The title search will surface these issues, but knowing about them before submitting allows a buyer to account for the possibility and structure the offer accordingly.
What to Ask About Permits, Violations, and Title
- Have any permits been pulled for work done on the property in the past 10 to 15 years, and were those permits formally closed?
- Are there any open code violations or citations on the property?
- Are there any liens on the property, including tax liens, contractor liens, or judgments?
- Are property taxes current, and are there any pending reassessments?
What Are the HOA and Historic District Restrictions?
In Chestnut Hill's historic district and the architecturally significant sections of Mount Airy and Germantown, restrictions govern what can be done to the exterior of a property and in some cases the interior. A buyer who plans to add an addition, replace original windows, or change the roofline needs to understand what the review and approval process looks like before making those plans.
If the property is part of an HOA, the documents should be reviewed before submitting. Restrictions on modifications, rentals, parking, and pets directly affect how a buyer can use the property, and the financial health of the association affects fee stability and the likelihood of special assessments.
What to Ask About HOA and Historic District Restrictions
- Is the property in a locally or nationally designated historic district, and if so, what does the review process look like for exterior modifications, additions, or window and door replacements?
- Is there a homeowners association, and if so, what do the fees cover, what is the current reserve balance, and are any special assessments pending or planned?
- Are there deed restrictions on the property beyond any HOA rules, and what do they govern?
- Have there been any violations of HOA rules or historic district guidelines associated with this property, and how were they resolved?
FAQs
How do I get answers to these questions before making an offer in Philadelphia?
Most answers come from a combination of sources, including the listing agent, the seller's disclosure, Philadelphia's public permit and citation records, and the preliminary title search. An experienced buyer's agent knows which questions to ask the listing agent directly, which information to pull from public records, and which items to flag for the inspection contingency.
Should these questions change how much I offer?
Yes. A property with a roof nearing end of life, a knob-and-tube electrical system, and an open permit from an unpermitted renovation is a meaningfully different financial proposition than one with updated systems and a clean permit history. The purchase price should reflect the full cost of ownership, not just the listing price.
Is the seller required to disclose this information in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania sellers are required to disclose known material defects using the Seller's Property Disclosure Statement, but the disclosure does not cover everything. A seller may not know the full electrical history of a 100-year-old home. The disclosure is a starting point, and the inspection process is the appropriate mechanism for surfacing what it does not capture.
Contact The Liz Clark Team Today
Asking the right questions before making an offer is something we do with every client before any offer goes in. Whether you are buying your first home in Chestnut Hill or your fourth in Mount Airy or Germantown, we are here to make sure you go in with the full picture.
Reach out through
The Liz Clark Team to connect with our team and get started.
