Red Flags You Shouldn’t Ignore When Buying a House

Red Flags You Shouldn’t Ignore When Buying a House

Many people dream of buying a house someday, having multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, a well-maintained lawn, and a lovely interior to call their own. However, some purchase a home to upgrade and increase its value to resell at a higher price, which is good if one wants to delve into real estate. But this isn’t easy to achieve. It can take years and even decades for some.

When it comes down to picking a house, it’s not simply selecting one from a listing. While it works like that, there’s more depth to it. That said, when picking a house, what are the things you should check first? Here are some of them.

Cracks and Tilts

The inside might be furnished and newly painted, but it would cost you a fortune when there are cracks and tilts on the exterior. Let’s say you purchased a Victorian house down in San Francisco from a homeowner in Sundae.com. It looks good, and it seems that it’s well-maintained.

But when you pulled out the decaying siding and the rotten door, you noticed some foundation issues that needed to be addressed immediately.

And then you move to have it fixed, but then what is initially just a few foundations turn out to have more underlying issues, and the house needs to be torn down. A house does not necessarily show its problems in the most obvious places, and sometimes, the deeper you dig, the more problems surface.

Water Damage

Everybody knows that when you conceal water damages in paint, it traps the moisture beneath the paint, which can lead to molds.

Where should you look for them? You can start by taking a peek at the base of tubs and toilets.

Also, it would help if you looked at the sheetrock underneath window sills since it’s one of the most common areas for mold to grow. One indication that the sheetrock has leaked is that it looks like it has been warped.

Uneven Floor

If you’re worried about uneven floors, you can check for them by bringing a marble during a house tour. You can place these marble in each room and see if it rolls over. If it does, you can be pretty sure that the floor is uneven. The older the house is, the more critical it is to check for uneven floors. A house can aggressively settle on the ground, making humps in the process.

Fixing deflections are costly. This is because you have to rip off the existing floor, see if the support columns should be corrected, find a new and matching floor, and finish it with the original flooring. This is not an excuse to deter you from buying an old house, though.

Old houses already shifted the earth beneath and settled, unlike a new house which has to settle yet. You can say that buying an old house is much safer than buying a newly built one. If you checked and saw some foundation improvements like installing I-beams or steel beans, the foundation is already as good as it can be.

Missing the Permits

When buying a house, you should always check the 3R Report (Report of Residential Building Record). A 3R is like a report card for your home. For example, if the home seller told you that they added a new deck in the house, it should be stated on the 3R.

When you see that it’s not, there’s a chance that the deck was not up to code, which is dangerous. You can ask for a professional to have a thorough check of the house. If it got the OK from him, it’s good to go.

Final Thoughts

Buying a house is a serious matter, so it should be appropriately handled. Remember, you and your family will be living in this house for a long time, so a problematic one is a no-go. Always check what the seller isn’t showing you, and always consult an inspector to see if things are up to date or if the house needs fixing.

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