Home-shopping in Sin City: What affects the price offer?

Imagine yourself home-shopping. No different from hopping from one shop to another in search for that perfectly-priced, simply-gorgeous little black dress, you relentlessly go from one open-house to the other looking for the best house you can afford. At some point, you might get lucky and discover a dream house. But the big question is: Do you have enough finances to own the place?

Every buyer is bound to raise this question as she perhaps struggles for loan deposit money or to close a bank account to pay for a new home. But if you equip yourself with real estate know-how on what affects a price offer, especially in a big city like Las Vegas, you protect yourself from the prospects of paying for a property more than its real value, as well as making intelligent counter-offers to the seller.

First, learn how to put a home in its proper category: average, above average or below average. To do this, simply pay attention to the rest of the houses in the neighborhood while you're out in the field house-hunting. This should give you a good basis of comparison.

Then proceed to do an evaluation on your own. There are a few criteria to keep in mind when evaluating a new home in Las Vegas, and structural condition tops these. Be meticulous. Inspect walls, ceilings, floors, doors and windows. Look into bathrooms and bedrooms and see for yourself whether the plumbing and electricity work efficiently. If you must, turn on knobs and switches yourself. Don't overlook small fixtures like light switches, doorknobs and drawer handles. Even the smallest of details count.

Is the place coated with a new paint or is the color too faded that it's making the house look older than it actually is? Check carpets and floor coverings too. Sometimes, there might be cracks or chipped tiles hidden beneath them.

If the house passed your personal "quality test", expect to pay a bit more. A well-maintained house will surely be priced higher than the others.