What to Look Out For When Viewing a Property

What to Look Out For When Viewing a Property

If you’re new to home buying, here are some tips when it comes to determining what you should look for to see if a property is in good condition. It’s important to do your research and see what may be an indicator of a home that may have problems for you down the road.

Your research can begin right here! Below, we’ll go through a few things to look out for when viewing a home.

Is the Building Structurally Sound?

Big cracks will be what you’re looking for but you should expect to see some hairline cracks. Look especially around where extensions join, bay windows, and end-of-terrace walls. These all can start to bow away from the rest of the house if the building isn’t structurally sound.

You should look for issues now that you can ask the homeowner about before asking an inspector to investigate later. Remember, a professional inspector is trained to spot what needs attention and you should get their opinion before purchasing a house.

Do the Window Frames Have Cracked Paint?

The state of a home’s window frames is a great indicator of the state of the rest of the property. If the current owners have looked after those, they are likely pretty diligent about the rest of the house.

Push your finger gently into a wooden window frame to test them, if it sinks in easily, they are usually rotten. These are fairly easy to replace, but this is certainly a red flag that indicates other parts of the house may be old and in need of replacement as well.

How Old is the Roof?

We all know replacing a roof is an expensive undertaking and newer roofs have a life expectancy of only about 20 years, depending on the materials.

Contact the Great Florida Homes team today and we will help answer your questions and get you on the road to homeownership!