When you read real estate listings or view homes, you might hear or read the words "good bones" as a phrase describing a home. While these words can mean a lot of different things, most homes that have good bones typically have the following characteristics:

No structural problems or major issues

The first, and main, characteristic of a house with good bones is the quality of the structure of the home. A home that is labeled as having "good bones" is a house that was built-well. This house is free of foundational issues and free of mechanical issues. The roof on the house is sturdy and in good shape and has no worries of leaks happening. The basic components of the house are all quality in nature.

Any house can have good bones, but it can be harder finding a home with good bones if you are shopping for homes that are old. In fact, if you are in the market for an old home, this is the one quality that you must look for in the house you are buying. Buying a house that has structural or mechanical issues will often lead to repair bills that are way more than you would expect to spend.

Good layout and features

In some cases, people feel that a house with good bones is a house that has a good layout and nice features, so this is the second characteristic of a house with good bones. You might find that a house is structurally sound, but if the layout is odd, then you might not label the house as having good bones.

Needs some facial work

The other characteristic of a home like this is that it likely will need some facial work. Because the house will already have some nice features, a good layout, and a quality structure, the only work you should expect to find is facial work. This means that you might have to paint the entire thing and possibly even perform some drywall repairs. You might also have to refinish or replace floors in the house or even an entire kitchen, but all the work you will need to do is just cosmetic types of work.

Finding a home that has good bones is important no matter what type or size of home you are looking for. To find a home like this, work with a real estate company like Houlihan Lawrence.