What to look out for when you're buying a home.
Justin isn't an inspector. He's a realtor who's spent twenty years inside Rochester homes — and that experience translates into a buyer's read that starts the moment a listing hits the market and runs all the way to closing. Eight chapters of what to actually watch.
Click any chapter. See what Justin's actually watching for.
Photos and copy say more than they mean to.
A listing is a marketing document, not a disclosure. The way it's photographed, what's missing, and the words the agent chooses tell you a surprising amount about the home and the seller's situation before you ever step inside.
- 01Wide-angle distortion making rooms look 30% larger than they live
- 02No basement photos in a Minnesota house — almost always means something
- 03No photos of the laundry, mechanical room, or garage
- 04'Cosmetic updates needed' usually means more than cosmetic
- 05'Sold as-is' or 'cash only' — a tell about condition or seller stress
Once you read enough listings, the gaps stand out more than the photos. Justin reads the absences first — what's not pictured, what's not described, what's been politely renamed.
Walk in with a list of things the listing didn't show you. Justin will tell you why each one is missing — sometimes it's nothing, sometimes it's the whole story.
If the listing is hiding something, your offer can reflect that. Justin uses listing tells to inform price, contingencies, and what to ask for in disclosure.
What it looks like when Justin walks a home with you.
We start with the listing — the full price history, the days on market, the photos that aren't there. By the time we drive over, we already know more about the home than most buyers learn in a week.
Outside, I'm reading the lot, the grade, the curb, the trees, the gutters. You're getting a feel for the block. Both of those matter, and we're paying attention to both.
Inside, I'm watching the layout, the light, the storage, the way the home actually lives versus how it's been staged. You're imagining your life in it. I'm watching for the things you can't unsee once you've seen them.
On the way out, I tell you what I'd watch at inspection, what I'd ask for in concessions, and whether — honestly — this is the right house at the right number with the right terms. That's the whole job.
Buy a home with someone who's already read a thousand of them.
Bring Justin a listing, an address, or a question. Get a straight read.