If you shop for a house and find one you love, you might want to write a purchase offer to buy it. Before you write the offer, you might want to ask some questions about the home. Finding out as much as you can about a house before you write an offer is a smart move, but what questions should you ask? Here are three excellent questions to ask before making an offer to buy a house.

1. Does the Seller Know of Any Problems?

You can talk to your realtor to determine if the seller knows about any issues with the home. The seller could have filled out a full-disclosure form that requires them to list the known issues. If you have not read this form yet, you should ask for it. When reading this form, look closely at the ages of systems in the home and the known problems.

For example, this document should state if the home ever experienced water damage. If it has, you might want to hire a water damage inspector to examine the house before buying it. Water damage can leave long-lasting consequences in a home, and this is an area you should know about before buying it.

2. Do Specific Things Come with the House?

If you see something in the home that you want the homeowner to leave, you can ask if it comes with the house. Some things standardly come with home sales, but other things can be questionable. For example, sellers typically leave the window blinds, but they do not always leave the curtains. If the home contains an expensive, unique light fixture, you might assume it comes with the house. It might not, though. It is better to ask than to assume.

3. What Is the Home Insurance Claim Record?

You might also want to ask if there is a history of home insurance claims on the house. If so, what claims did people file on the house? Are they serious issues? Learning about this can help you find undetected problems with a house. For example, if a home had a fire years ago, you might want to have an inspector closely evaluate the areas of the home affected by the fire to learn if the home was repaired properly.

These three questions can reveal a lot about a home. You can ask these and others when buying a house. To learn more, speak with a realtor in your town.