If you’re planning to buy a new home in 2023, whether because an upgrade is due, you need to move locations for work or schooling purposes, or your rental property is no longer available, you’re sure to be focused on what the inside of potential places look and feel like.

However, don’t forget to pay attention to the external areas of homes for sale, too. After all, these days, we often spend more and more time in the outdoors of our abodes, whether for relaxing, entertaining, working, gardening, or other tasks. Here are some outdoor factors to consider to help you know what to think about when examining properties.

Determine How You Want to Use External Spaces

Ensure you’re clear about how you want to use external spaces in the property you purchase. For example, perhaps you want to run around with your kids in the backyard, give them plenty of space to play, and install a playhouse, trampoline, swing set, or other items. You may want plenty of room to put in a pool or to give dogs or other animals a chance to stretch their legs and enjoy the great outdoors.

Some people want enough external space to plant lots of fresh produce or put in a small orchard. Others may be more focused on having a lovely entertaining area in which to dine and hang out with friends and family or a relaxation space to meditate, practice yoga, read a book, or the like. For some buyers, the most important thing is to have easy-care, low-maintenance outdoor zones that they don’t need to spend lots of time working on every month; for others, it’s about having plenty of privacy and quietness.

Once you know what the most vital factors are to you, you can look for these things every time you inspect a new property.

See if Outdoor Areas are Safe and Secure Enough

Another element to consider when purchasing a home and examining outdoor areas is whether these zones seem safe and secure. There are multiple things to consider, such as if there is proper fencing to keep children and pets from running out onto the road or wandering into neighboring properties. If there’s a pool or other water feature in the yard, you’ll always want this to have secure fencing to stop young children or animals from falling in.

Security can be top of mind, depending on the areas in which you’re looking for places. If so, be on the lookout for homes that don’t have public parks or other property right behind or next to them or walkways that could encourage people to loiter around near your property and peer in or scope it out for a robbery. Check, too, if there are vines or other plants that could give burglars places to hide around your house or ways to climb up and access higher floors of your home where you may be likely to leave windows open at times.

Notice the State of the Yard

Don’t forget to pay attention to the state of the yards at places you inspect. You may want to move into a property that won’t require lots of gardening time to get under control or maintain. If so, you’ll want to avoid houses with overgrown yards with lots of trees that need chopping back, dead plants to remove, weeds that need tackling, shrubs that need locating, etc.

Look at lawns to see if they’re healthy or more on the brink. If you see dead patches of grass, you may need to do a lot more work on the lawn to bring it back to life, which can be time-consuming and costly. If the yard is bare without many plants, think about if you’re excited by this idea since you can put your stamp on the outdoor spaces or prefer to pick a place with more established yards.

Determine if There are Hazards and Other Problems to Attend To

Lastly, before you choose a property to buy, examine if there are any hazards or other problems you need to attend to. For example, an outdoor patio may have fans with exposed wires or loose tiles that could cause people to trip. If so, you may need to buy a modern ceiling fan to replace the old one and get it installed by an electrician, and replace or re-lay the patio tiles to eliminate hazards.

Also, look at the home’s gutters, roof, and drain pipes. Are there any leaks occurring, or is there rust or a major debris buildup that needs clearing? What about solar panels – do they need cleaning or fixing? You may also have underground water leaks from burst pipes to sort out or pest infestations to get under control.

It’s a big commitment to buy a new property, so do your due diligence and inspect places thoroughly before making your decision. Consider all the above outdoor factors before signing on any dotted lines.