When it comes to buying a new home, you want a house in top condition. That is why home inspections are important in the home buying process. Now, like any careful home buyer, you know that your home inspector is always on the lookout for any error during his/her inspection. However, before the official inspection, it's a good idea to do a quick evaluation yourself. Knowing any of this before buying a house can save you time and money which you won't regret. So what are the things you need to look out for when you're inspecting a home?
A home inspection is necessary because it can keep you safe. By inspecting the electrical system, you will know if it's faulty or not and this is important because a faulty electrical system can lead to fire hazard. A recent post from Medium explains why checking the electrical is a priority:
Check the Electrical
Always check the wiring and appliances inside any house that you want to buy. First, locate the electrical panel of the apartment or that of the entire building and look inside it. If it looks neat, new and organized, then it’s good to go. A strong red flag would be a panel where there are plenty of loose wires and nothing makes any sense.
Second, you will need to assess all the electrical appliances that the house comes with. Flip all the switches on and off a few times to see if they all work. The same is true for lighting fixtures and their adjacent switches. Via medium.com
Checking the electrical system of the house not only helps you to be safe but also knowing whether it needs fixing or not will help you spend less money. Electrical systems can be expensive to repair so you could end up spending a huge amount of money for repairs.
Inspect the electrical system of the house.
Next on our list is to look for signs of pests. They can be annoying and a real hassle to deal with. A new post from The Odyssey Online shares why it is crucial to inspect the house of pests:
Pests
Inspections are an important part of the home-buying process and can save you from a lot of heartache and grief. An independent inspector can tell you what's wrong with the home (if anything), and refer you to a specialist to find out how much it will cost to fix the problem.
Pests can be both a nuisance and a threat to your home's structural integrity. A termite infestation, if left unchecked, can render a home uninhabitable.
An inspector will look for signs of pest damage, and refer you to a professional exterminator if necessary. An exterminator can eliminate most pests, even those that aren't wood-destroying. h/t theodysseyonline.com
Ants are one of the pests which can cause nuisance in your house and they can cause a lot of damage to your property which you won't like at all. It is important that you get rid of the pests first if ever you decide on buying the house as it can ruin your house if it is not dealt with early on. You can always hire an exterminator in order to get rid of the pests.
Lastly, molds. It's not safe to have mold in a house because it can badly affect health, and also indicates that there may be issues with other parts of the house. A recent post from Mashvisor discusses why it is important to do a mold inspection:
Molds
Mold and mildew are not only hazardous to health, but they are strong indicators of water problems with the foundation, roof, or plumbing system of a fixer upper. Besides visibly seeing the mold, there are a few ways a real estate investor can discover if mold removal should be on his/her list of home improvements:
1.) Put your hand on multiple walls during a home inspection of a fixer upper. Try to detect if there is dampness by noticing different temperatures of the walls.
2.) Mildew and mold usually give off a smell in the rooms that they are found in. Pay attention to these smells during the home inspection of a fixer upper.
If there are any signs of mold or mildew in a fixer upper, make sure not to end the home inspection of a fixer upper until the cause is discovered. Revisit the foundation, plumbing, and roof inspection if your inspector indicated no problems or issues requiring home improvement. If you plan to only remove the mold as a home improvement, you’ll find it quickly returns. This will lower the value of your investment property in the long run. read more at mashvisor.com
A house having mold indicates that there could be problems with the water, roof, foundation, etc. which is a big red flag. You don't want to live in a house where you could get sick. If you decide on buying the house, it is important that the cause for the mold be determined and resolved as soon as possible.