Inspect the Home Before You Buy

When shopping for a home, most people tend to only those cosmetic features, such as the size and cleanliness of the premises, and the color of the walls and carpet. However, there are many other important issues to be considered when looking for a house like the soundness and structure. Usually during the preliminary examination process of buyers spend 10 minutes in a house they are not interested in buying and surprisingly only 30 to 45 minutes in the home they select for the needs of their families for a good many years.

Many people today, following the selection of a house are serious about buying, select the rent of a professional home inspector to do a thorough investigation, this is a good idea. These professionals are well-educated and make a living by finding fault with the property purchase. Her report will in the future repairs and maintenance, for the immediate attention and long-term expectations. But until then, can and should be your own inspection, as it saves you a lot of time and money in the long.


If the House Permanent Straight?

Start by yourself, as the House. Are there signs of uneven settlement? A crooked house can cause big problems.

Check the foundation walls. Hair cracks are usually not serious, but large vertical cracks may mean settlement and potential moisture problems.

If there is a veranda, check the angle of him on the ground. If there is a slant, it can either mean that the porch constructed or bad is that the house is settling. Watch for the corridors that gap distance inside ballot as water can cause damage inside the house.

Look at the roof, binoculars work best, or let a professional inspector a thorough review later. Water is of a pitched roof, but it is also difficult to climb. A flat roof may not be the most attractive, but it is easier to access for repairs. However, make sure there are no visible sag in the roof and the chimney is straight and solid. Be sure not missing shingles, curled, suspended or ripped.

You should also look up to the attic to the state of the roofing material and radiation, that the roof. Make sure gutters are in a position around the house, and that they do not expire.

As for the wall coverings, it should be no signs of a bubbling paint or water damage. Do not be afraid to ask, what's under the siding.

While brick is a durable building materials for the exterior walls, the mortar, the stones together can dry, cracking or breaking. Repair costs high, so you can find out whether the mortar joints between the bricks were reinforced.

Shingles can be a lifetime and can easily be replaced, but they can be brittle with age. Aluminum siding has little care when replacement costs can be high. If the exterior is stucco, it should sound solid, not hollow when tapped with a wooden object. Note also that during an unpainted wood surface is resistant to abrasion, painted wood to be re-painted about every five years.

Exterior basement, go through cracks have serious problems, so keep your eyes open for all. The soil should also be built next to the outside walls, so water will drain away.

The road to the house is also the inspection. Cement hikes are usually the safest, while brick walks tend to catch dirt and can be more hazardous work should lose tiles.

In addition, high trees look attractive, the color of the house, reduce air-conditioning needs, and the value of the house, but they can also be annoying. If roots are growing under the sidewalks, they can cement. Verify that the overhead cables are free from interference from tree limbs, too.

If you are unsure of something, ask your real estate agent for his or her opinion, and for the names of reputable test.

Check for cracks, leaks and Patches

When inspecting the house, look at the size of the support beams in the basement. Any collapse could mean the entire structure is unstable. Cracks in basement walls where there is more moisture so make sure the basement is sufficiently waterproofed.

Pierce some of the wood with a knife. If the wood is soft, it could mean dry rot. While this may mean sawdust ants.

When looking at walls painted to look prominent cracks which may suggest poor construction or a pipe heating or water problem.

Tap on the wall surfaces, too. Half inch surfaces are preferable, but if the walboards sound thin and hollow is likely to have the cheapest one-quarter of an inch surface.

If the edges of the background image are curling bear in mind that you will have to replace them. And do not forget to look up. Watermarks on the ceiling may indicate problems of leakage.

If there are wall to wall carpeting to try to lift an edge to see the real state of the word. If there are signs of weakness or uneven wood floor you may need to establish a new floor. Squeaks not necessarily spell trouble, but may indicate poor manpower.

Do not overlook the parts of the house such as heating, insulation, air conditioning and plumbing systems, which can not see and can be difficult to inspect. How heats the house? Ask the seller about their fuel bills. Discover the extent of the insulation throughout the house as the garage, basement walls, crawl space and attic.

Make sure that doors and window frames are caulked and weather stripped, too. You can find the functioning of the fireplace draws blow some smoke in the chimney to see if it goes up easily. We also know whether the storm and screen windows come with the house. Without insulation is poor and you may have to spend a few thousand dollars to purchase them.

If the house has central air conditioning for signs of rust or deterioration in the condenser. As for plumbing, assessing the state of the pipes and drains. Copper, brass or bronze pipes are best, although the new plastics are gaining popularity. If the pipes are exposed in the basement to see if there are patches, wires or rags, or do all the clanking sounds when you turn on the taps again. If so, you know that something is wrong. Flush toilets to see how they are noisy and make sure that the water pressure is good spinning on several faucets at once.


To identify weaknesses before the signing.

When you sign a contract for a home to one of the titles is usually written in the contract is that the purchase is contingent on the report of an inspection service that is satisfactory to you. (His real estate representative will be able to help you with these details.)

In general, wait until after making a deal with the seller before you have to do because you do not want to spend money on an inspection of a house itself than ever. Note that the price of the buyer, the seller must reflect giving to the house of flaws.

In general, every problem is not a disaster and it does not want to turn a well-priced home because you need a few hundred dollars in repairs. But if you can identify weaknesses and determine what repairs will cost before you buy a house you will have the peace of peace of mind that has made the right decision and enjoy more of his house.