In days of old, house hunting involved window shopping and driving around. Those were the best and only ways to get an idea of what was on the market and which locations appealed. Either that or you put yourself on a realtor’s listings and hoped they’d find the property your heart desired.

Now, things couldn’t be more different. As with many things in life, our house hunts have moved online. We search areas on Google maps, do image searches for town centers, and even find properties using sites offered by companies like McGraw Realtors. This shift online has transformed the way we connect with properties. In fact, it’s now easier than ever to find the house of your dreams.

But, that’s not to say house hunting online is all roses, especially when it comes to areas like New York. The issue, of course, is that city living is pretty crowded. But, unless you visit the area, you might not realize that. What’s more, realtors are experts at photographing properties in their best lights. As such, there’s a chance you may be disappointed by what you find at a viewing. Realtors themselves are aware of this issue, with many advising viewings to gain a decent idea of properties. But, to further help avoid disappointment, we’re going to look at some signs that a property isn’t as perfect as its pictures suggest.

All the lights are on

This applies to any area, but New York properties are especially guilty of this. With all those high-rise buildings, it should come as no surprise that apartments here can be dark. For some of us, that isn’t much of an issue. If you’re out at work all day, for instance, it isn’t going to bother you if you lose light in the afternoons. But, if light is a worry for you, be wary of pictures with the lights blaring. More often than not this is a sign that the property in question struggles for natural light.

Something’s missing up front

Another significant warning sign is a lack of frontal pictures. It may seem strange, but it’s amazing how often this happens. If no photos are taken upfront, it’s a sure sign of some problem. It may be that the property is cramped, or awkward to reach. Either way, you might want to approach with caution, or at least search on street view to get a better idea of the setup.

What about parking?

Anyone with any knowledge of New York City will already know how nightmarish parking can be. But, here as with any inner city area, parking spaces with properties are pretty hard to come by. So much so that any parking which does come with a property WILL be photographed. If not, you can bet parking will be an issue. Again, a look on street view can help you gain a better idea here. But, if this isn’t something you’ve considered, it might be time to look out for those much-desired parking pics.
 

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