Buying Your Own Home: What to Look Out for During Inspection

You may be excited to buy your new home. You should be; owning your own real estate property is a privilege that not everyone will get to experience. However, before you commit, there are some things that you first need to check:

Consider Hiring a Professional Inspector

A house is an expensive investment. You obviously would want to be sure that you are getting your money’s worth.

Many people make the mistake of skipping home inspections, but it will be able to save you from a lot of headaches later on. There are professionals who do home inspections within Salt Lake City and other parts of Utah. They will tell you if the property will require renovations (and how much it may cost) or if something is present in the home that will make living in it unsafe for the members of your family.

Hiring a professional will not cost you much. They can give you advice that you may need before you make the purchase and assure you that you are not wasting money on a bad investment.

Look for Water Stains

There are a lot of problems that may arise due to a water leak. The first thing that you need to watch out for are water stains on the ceiling and the walls.

The presence of moisture may not always be obvious. The owner may paint the ceiling and walls, for example, to cover the watermarks. However, if there is the smell of mold, there likely be a leak that needs to be addressed soon before it causes further damage.

Moreover, mold, which grows in moist environments, is an allergen. If you experience respiratory issues, you may want to get the leak fixed as soon as possible.

Search for Cracks

If you are buying an old house, you likely will see a few cracks on the wall. A few hairline cracks are normal and usually are not a cause of worry. It is the big cracks that you need to be cautious about.

A crack bigger than two millimeters will need to be assessed by a professional building inspector to ensure that the property is structurally sound and if it is safe for you and your family to move into the house.

Go around the property and examine both interior and exterior walls. Pay close attention to areas where extensions join and bay windows. Again, a professional home inspector will be more equipped to find defects and report them to you.

Where is the House Facing?

This may not be something that most buyers consider, but this will affect your experience living inside the property. In the winter, you may not be able to notice that the direction your house is facing is important. However, during spring and summer, when the interiors of your home are not getting enough warmth and natural light from the sun, it will make a difference.

Ask about how the changes in the weather affect the house. Bring out a compass if you have to. Also, consider the distance of the house from the nearest body of water. Although waking up with a view of a creek from your bedroom window sounds fantastic in the summer, it will not be as fun when it overflows during the rainy season.

Before any big purchase, you have to make sure that what you are getting is worth its price tag. Ask as many questions as you need and be thorough when you do inspections.