Finding a prospective home can be an exhilarating experience, but can also end up becoming a frustrating and stressful process. Search Realty advises that a lot of this frustration and stress can be eliminated if the home buyer is properly prepared, but moreover, if the home buyer avoids unnecessary future stress by paying attention to the five key areas of a home to evaluate if interested in making a purchase on that home for sale. Assessing these five keys areas can save loads of money in the long run.
The five key areas in homes that usually are the main (and most costly) problems reported are: plumbing, attic, foundation, landscaping and electrical.
PLUMBING
A big area of concern within any home, or any building for that matter, is plumbing. One reason that causes concern is that plumbing issues are usually not so apparent. One cannot always spot an issue right away, as plumping is hidden and damage is hard to spot until it reaches its precipice.
One of the main causes of plumbing issues revolves around sinks. Without proper caulking, the sink can allow water to leak, leading to mold forming underneath the sink, which creates expensive repairs.
Search Realty advises home buyers to inspect the sink, and tubs and toilets for that matter, to look for cracks, usually behind it. Basically, because of this crack, water gets trapped and seeps down, and once there, it becomes a perfect area to become a mold-breeding ground.
ATTIC
You can tell a lot about a home by looking in the attic. In the attic, you can tell if the roof is in good shape by looking at the wood. Another thing to look at is the insulation, taking note if it is new, because if it is an older home with new insulation within the attic, it’s quite obvious that there was some sort of water leak, raising obvious concerns about the rest of the home.
FOUNDATION
Cracks are obvious signs that cause concern regarding the foundation of the home. What must be noted however is that some cracks are natural cracks, that won’t lead to progressive damage to the foundation, while other cracks are atypical and are cause for concern.
LANDSCAPING
Having landscape too close to a home could lead to problems with the foundation cracking, thus affecting the home. This happens because when the landscape is too close to a home and it is watered, the foundation and soil expand, and then, when no watering occurs, the foundation dries up and shrinks, causing it to crack.
ELECTRICAL
Electrical concerns aren’t exactly ‘meets-the-eye’. This is why Search Realty recommends the use of a home inspector, who can quickly assess electrical issues on the spot, and rule out any problems and point out any areas of concern.
A home buyer would be wise to use a home inspector for an overall look at the house, not just electrical. But before looking into a home inspection, the home buyer’s best bet is to thoroughly examine the home and make notes on key areas of concern when it relates to easily visible problems such as cracks in the foundation, deteriorating wood in the attic and more. If the problems are too many, it is obvious that a purchase won’t be made, and thus a home inspection is not needed. However, if the problems are minimal, it may be of benefit to get a home inspector to properly assess the home. The home buyer can also discuss these problems with the home seller, and possibly get a price reduction because of them.
