Red Flags on Condition
Unless you're a builder with enough experience to thoroughly inspect a house yourself, you'll probably hire a home inspector to check things out before you make an actual purchase. That means you don't have to worry about finding or catching every little detail that might turn your new home into a money pit.
Home inspectors, however, are not free. And your time is valuable too. You don't need to pay a home inspector or spend time negotiating if you can spot major problems that would eliminate the house from your consideration.
Examine the following areas. If you see cause for concern, and if it is a house you really love, ask your Realtor to recommend a contractor or repair person. Get an estimate and calculate the total cost of each home for sale before you make a purchase decision.
The Roof:
Look at the roof line… is it straight and level or does it dip in the middle or on one end? You definitely want it to be straight! Then look at the actual roofing. Composition roofing should lay flat - no curly edges. It should also be free from moss, which could be covering up problems. Metal roofing should also lay flat… no edges popping up and no screws or nails sticking up higher than the roofing. Shake roofing is harder to determine from the ground, but look at the edges… if they're ragged that roofing may be old and rotten… and ready to be replaced. If you can reach it, test to see if it crumbles between your fingers. (And yes, I've seen that!) The floors: Walk through every room in the house… not just in the middles. The floors should be level. If they aren't, you will get a sense of going downhill in some areas. This could indicate a problem with the foundation or a moisture problem in the floor itself.
The floors should also feel solid. The most common areas for spongy spots are near the kitchen sink, the bathtub, the water heater, and the washing machine. Replacing the sub-floor in those areas is not considered a major problem, but it does necessitate tearing up and replacing flooring - and that can be expensive. Damp or spongy floors near the water heater could also indicate a chronic leak… and a water heater that must soon be replaced. Be wary of carpet that obviously needs to be re-stretched in many areas. One woman who purchased a new home hired a local flooring company to re-stretch the carpet before she moved in. They did, they billed her, and then told her she really needed new carpet because the backing was separating from the fiber and it would soon fall apart. It seems the previous occupant had small dogs that weren't housebroken. She had shampooed the carpet so many times that it was ruined.
The walls:
Look for water marks… and dark areas near the floors. This could indicate mold and is a major cause for concern. Be especially attentive toward the basement walls and at the outside corners of the house. Mold you can see could indicate mold inside the walls as well. That might be a chance you don't want to take. Some houses are prone to recurring mold, so even if you pay to have it removed it could return quickly. One landlord was sued when his tenant's infant became deathly ill from the exposure… just months after he had paid to have mold removed from that rental.
The foundation:
Notice the sill plate… that strip of wood that runs across the top of the concrete just below the exterior walls. It is often hidden, but can sometimes be seen in doorways. If it is rotten… run, don't walk, from this purchase! If you're looking at older homes, check to see that the foundation really is made of concrete. Wood to earth contact is a loan-killer when it comes to FHA or VA loans, and should be a cause for concern to you as well. If you see wood to earth, a pest inspection might be in order, as termites and carpenter ants love that damp wood.
If all these areas look fine, you are probably looking at a solid house - one worth your consideration. At this point, hiring an inspector to fill in the details will be worth your money.
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