The housing market is a rough one, there is no
mistake about that at all. Rising costs and low inventory mean that if you are
lucky enough to find your dream home, you could feel a whole load of pressure
to flash the cash and put down an offer. But before you do that, you need to
take pause. It may be very exciting to find the home that you’ve been searching
for, and even more exciting to know that you can actually afford said home. The
thing is, that house needs a whole lot of inspecting before you go ahead and
take it off the market. Looks can be very deceiving when it comes to buying a house, and even a house that can
appear to be in good condition could have some flaws that cannot be ignored.
This is the whole idea of curb appeal: the seller wants to you to be sucked in
by the fresh flowers and the clean lines in the kitchen. They want you to offer
your cash and work out the problems later, because that means they don’t have
to be the one to fix them.
It’s easy to ignore the dodgy paint colours and
the desperate need for an upgrade for the appliances, as these are minor issues
that can be fixed easily. And yet there are other things out there like foundation problems, that could be the true
deal breaker of your buying dreams. We’ve put together five of the most common
home issues that could be deal breakers for your big move, so make a list and
check it twice – Santa-style!
The Roof.
The roof of a home can last you thirty years or
even more, if the roof is of excellent condition. The problems lay with installation and poor-quality materials. If
the tiles that have been installed are cheap, they will not last as long as
they should. Always ask the seller on inspection how old the roof is and get
yourself a ladder to inspect the guttering around the edges. It may look
beautifully done at the front of the house and yet be smashed and broken at the
back, with insufficient drainage. If you would rather, you could pay a
professional roofer to take a look for you and incur the cost of that as a
matter of health and safety. Always review a home inspection done prior to the
property going on the market, and have an independent inspector look at the
house for you as well. You may be able to negotiate the price of the house if
you have to include the cost of roof repairs.
Flood
Zones
Climate change and the total unpredictability of
the weather means that in times of torrential rain, your new house could be at
risk of flooding. You don’t have to live near a body of water to be at risk of
flooding, either, and if you buy a home in a high-risk area for flooding, your
insurance costs could skyrocket beyond the reach of your wallet. You can seek
some advice on the flood boundaries and levels from your local council and also
find out the local streets that tend to flood during times of heavy weather.
Once you know, you can prepare for it and negotiate a new deal with the seller.
Your insurance costs could be a lot higher, so you should factor this in with
your initial outlay on the home that you want.
Plumbing
When you look around a new home, run the faucets
and showers in the rooms. You should also flush all the toilets. Don’t worry,
you won’t look like a crazy person to do this. You’re checking the water
pressure and the drainage so that you can tell if the plumbing is up to
scratch. Have a look at the water heater in the home as well as where it is
located, and bring in an independent plumber to check for cracks in the pipes and sewer lines.
Sewer line repairs can be very expensive and if your independent plumber finds
faults and leaks, you could have solid grounds to ask for a reduction in the
price of the home.
Upgrades
Most people who buy a home have dreams of expanding
in the future, but before you buy you need to know whether it is a possibility
for your particular house. Zoning restrictions could scupper your plans for
renovation later on and if there’s a chance that your planning permission could
be rejected, you may change your mind on buying the house at all. Speak to the
local authority and municipality to know whether you would be restricted in
your efforts for home expansion. There’s nothing worse than planning a whole
new room or floor to the home only to have wasted your cash because you’ll get
told no. As the renovations would be entirely up to you, it’s better to walk
away from the house than try and negotiate a change in the price.
Electrics
Older houses are notorious for outdated wiring, but this doesn’t have to be
the dealbreaker as it’s something to be expected. However, if the wiring hasn’t
been updated in decades, this is a big problem. Older homes are popular for
aluminium wiring and this isn’t cheap or easy to replace. Check out the fuse
box when you view the home and you should get a good idea as to whether it’s in
any kind of working order. Rewiring a whole house can cost you into the
thousands, so you would have good grounds to ask for a price reduction to
accommodate those costs.
Never be afraid to ask questions when you are
viewing a property. It’s not rude to assume there could be issues, it’s smart
to assume that there would be things that you may have to spend money
repairing. Your money is about to pile into a new home, and you should be
comfortable with that fact before you do it.
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