The Time Traveler's Guide to Buying a Home: 5 Things Your Grandparents Never Had to Think About

Imagine telling your grandparents everything you consider when buying a home today.

They'd recognize plenty of it.

Location. Price. Schools. The size of the yard. Whether the roof leaks.

But solar contracts?

Homeowners insurance availability?

EV charging?

Wi-Fi strength?

They might wonder when buying a house became so complicated.

The fundamentals of a good home haven't changed much. But the way we live in our homes certainly has.

Here are five things today's buyers should think about that probably never appeared on your grandparents' house-hunting checklist.

That Beautiful Solar System May Come With Paperwork

Drive through Orange County and you'll see solar panels everywhere.

They can be a wonderful feature.

But here's something buyers don't always realize:

Solar panels aren't necessarily owned by the homeowner.

A system may be owned outright, financed, leased or subject to another type of agreement.

That distinction matters.

If you're considering a home with solar, don't simply see panels on the roof and mentally add "solar" to the list of upgrades.

Ask questions.

Who owns the system?

Is there a loan?

Is there a lease or power purchase agreement?

Are there payments remaining?

What happens to the agreement when the home is sold?

The answers may be perfectly fine.

You just want to know what you're taking on.

Fifty years ago, buyers worried about the water heater.

Today, we may also be reading a 30-page solar agreement.

Homeowners Insurance Deserves Attention Earlier Than You Think

This one surprises buyers.

Insurance used to feel like something you handled near the end of the transaction.

Today, particularly in California, we recommend thinking about it much earlier.

The question isn't simply:

"How much will homeowners insurance cost?"

It may also be:

"Which companies will insure this property?"

Location, wildfire exposure, the age of the home, roof condition and other property characteristics can affect availability and cost.

Here's an easy example.

Two homes may have the same purchase price and similar monthly mortgage payments.

But if one costs substantially more to insure, the true monthly cost of owning those homes isn't the same.

That's why insurance is no longer something we'd want a buyer discovering at the last minute.

A beautiful home still has to make financial sense after you insure it.

Where Are You Going to Charge the Car?

Your grandparents probably never toured a garage and wondered:

"Can I charge my car here?"

Today's buyers do.

If you own an electric vehicle, or think you might in the future, the garage deserves a closer look.

Is there already an EV charger?

Does the electrical panel have capacity for one?

Would electrical work be needed?

If you're buying a condo or townhome, does the HOA have rules about installing chargers?

None of this necessarily makes a property good or bad.

It's simply part of understanding how the home fits the way you live today.

And even if you don't own an electric vehicle, future buyers might.

Sometimes thinking about tomorrow is part of buying wisely today.

The Smart Home May Not Be As Smart As It Looks

Doorbell cameras.

Smart locks.

Thermostats.

Security systems.

Garage controls.

Built-in speakers.

Pool controls.

Homes are filled with technology that didn't exist a generation ago.

But here's the question buyers sometimes forget to ask:

What actually stays with the house?

A wall-mounted control panel may look like part of the home, but what equipment does it control?

Does the system require a subscription?

Is the equipment owned or leased?

Can the accounts be transferred?

Is the technology already outdated?

And most importantly, when you take ownership, have the previous owner's accounts and access been properly removed?

The fancy touchscreen on the wall isn't very impressive if nobody knows the password.

Can You Actually Get a Signal Here?

This sounds almost silly until you buy a home and discover your phone barely works inside it.

For many people today, internet and cellular service aren't conveniences. They're part of how the household functions.

We work from home.

We stream television.

We attend Zoom meetings.

Our security cameras use Wi-Fi.

Our thermostats use Wi-Fi.

Even some appliances use Wi-Fi.

Imagine finding a beautiful home tucked into the hills. It's quiet, private and exactly what you've been looking for.

Then you discover your cell service is unreliable and the available internet options don't support the way your family works from home.

That's something worth knowing before you move in.

A simple thing to do during a showing: Look at your phone.

How many bars do you have?

If connectivity is important to you, ask what internet providers service the address and verify your options yourself.

Your grandparents checked the water pressure.

You might want to check the Wi-Fi.

One More Thing Your Grandparents Would Recognize

For all the ways home buying has changed, some things haven't.

A great location still matters.

A functional floor plan still matters.

Natural light matters.

The street and surroundings matter.

Maintenance matters.

And paying attention to the things that are difficult or expensive to change still matters.

Technology changes.

Good real estate fundamentals don't.

The Bottom Line

Buying a home today requires looking at things buyers couldn't have imagined a generation ago.

You still need to look at the kitchen, bedrooms and backyard.

But you may also need to think about internet service, insurance, solar agreements, electrical capacity and technology attached to the home.

And you don't have to figure all of this out on your own.

Part of our job is knowing who to call and what questions to ask. We have insurance contacts who can help investigate coverage early, trusted inspectors and specialists when a property needs a closer look, and resources to help untangle things like solar agreements, HOA documents and other questions that come up along the way.

We don't expect our buyers to know all of this.

That's our job.

Your job is to ask questions, stay curious and make a decision that feels right once you have the information.

Because sometimes the question you never thought to ask becomes the most valuable question of the entire transaction.

The way we live has changed. The way we look at a home should change with it.

Behind the Scenes

Here's something buyers may not realize.

Some of the most useful information we gather about a home doesn't come from standing inside it.

It comes afterward.

We read the disclosures.

We look at the solar documents.

We ask about insurance.

We review the HOA information.

We find out whether something that looks like an upgrade comes with an agreement, payment or restriction attached to it.

And sometimes we simply encourage a buyer to go back and look at something again.

That gorgeous garage suddenly looks a little different when you realize you need room for two cars, an EV charger, three bicycles and everything currently sitting in your storage unit.

Buying a home has always been about more than bedrooms and bathrooms.

The difference today is that there are simply more questions worth asking.

And sometimes the smallest question uncovers something you really needed to know.