Now that you are interested in buying a new house, you will want to do your due diligence to make sure that it is not going to be a giant money pit for you once you have obtained ownership of it. To ensure that you are avoiding such issues, you will want to use the advice that you find here.
Look For Signs Of Water Damage
Even small signs of water damage should be enough to make you stop and ask questions. Some of the signs of water damage include dark spots on any of the ceilings, walls, or floors. You might notice some water damage around the perimeter of some windows. Make sure that you are venturing into the basement if the home you are looking at has done. Besides obvious puddles of water in the basement, you will want to examine the foundation wall. If you see mold growing on any paneling or drywall, it is safe to assume that there is a moisture problem down there. If there are white spots all over the block walls, it is most likely something called efflorescence. Efflorescence appears when there has been a lot of water evaporating out of the blocks.
The Foundation Is Cracking Or Crumbling
You will want to closely examine the foundation through the basement or crawl space, as well as from the outside. If you notice even one corner or side of the foundation cracking or crumbing, it is a sign of trouble. It might not yet be stabilized and may continue to get a lot worse, which will be your problem to repair if you buy the property. If the foundation cannot be easily patched, you might have to find a foundation contractor to jack up the house in order to replace parts of the foundation and this can be very expensive.
The Floors Slant
As you walk through the house, you will want to pay close attention to how you are walking. Does it feel as though you are walking at a slant throughout the house, or even in one section of it? Take a look at some of the tables or dressers that are in the rooms of the home. Are any of them propped up on the bottom in order to level it out? That could be a sign that the floors are no longer nice and straight. Fixing the floors in the house is usually very labor intensive and expensive. First, the foundation may need to be repaired, and then a contractor would have to replace the floors in the house.
Along with those suggestions, you will want to make sure that you are requesting as many professional inspections that you can get. This way, you will be more likely to find the home of your dreams, without it draining your budget.
