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Tips
on what to look for when buying a house: >> |
Purchasing a home is one of the most important financial investments you will make, make sure you are choosing a wise investment. After all, you don't want to blindly invest in something that may prove risky.
You don't have to be a trained, certified inspector to spot obvious problems with a house. You just need to use your common sense and use the tips below to help you decide which house "looks" like a good investment.
Once you narrow your search down, then you should hire a trained, certified Home Inspector to perform a Professional Home Inspection to identify the not so obvious problems. Here are some tips from various sources that should help you when searching for the right home to invest in:
I highly recommend you
hire a Professional Home Inspector before you purchase a home.
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The Roof:
 Are
there any shingles/tiles missing, holes in the roof, is the gutter
secured and sloping toward the down spout without any dips or curves,
can you see flashing around the chimney and any valleys or where 2 roofs
connect to each other, any sags in the ridge, wavy roof surface, rotted
soffit or fascia boards plus much more. Ask how old the roofing material
is and keep in mind there are many different roofing materials available
from low quality to high quality and each material will react
differently in our Nova Scotia climate. Some manufacturers may state
their product will last 25 years, but this is under ideal conditions.
(Read their fine print.) Most roofing material that I have inspected
that claims to last 25 years, does not last that long in our Province.
The life of the material will likely range anywhere between 15-20 yrs.
Of course there are many variables that will cause the roof to
deteriorate faster or last longer depending on climate and whether or
not it was installed properly to manufacture guidelines.
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The Exterior Walls:
 Look
at the walls to make sure they are straight and not bowed out or
wavy. Check siding for cracks, leaks, signs of insects destroying
exterior finish. Check for rot especially along the bottom of the
walls where the sheathing is exposed. Check to make sure the bottoms
of the walls are at least 6 inches from the ground, whether they are
brick, siding, stucco, and plywood. If these items touch ground,
there could be moisture, mould and rot problems along with insect
problems.
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Foundation:
 Check the Foundation walls from what you can view and make sure there are
no major cracks. Almost every foundation in Nova Scotia is going to
have some minor settlement cracks due to the type of soil and
weather here but take note of the size, shape and direction of the
cracks and discuss it with your Home Inspector. Also look for patch
work that may indicate a problem with the foundation. Home
Inspections consist of visual inspections so if the selling client
has covered the foundation wall with a coating or covering material,
make sure you ask the client if there were problems with the
foundation at any time and get their responses in writing because
verbal explanations will not help you if you need to take legal
action against the seller later down the road sort of speak..
Check to make sure the walls are straight. Stand at one end and look
all the way to the other end. Is it straight? I hope so! Of course
your home Inspector will have levels and other tools to determine if
the walls are straight.
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Landscaping:
One of the most important you can do is look at the grading of the land.
Ideally you want the land sloping away from the house and garage so
water doesn't build up around the foundation and cause leaks and
cracks in the foundation from freezing and thawing over colder
seasons.
Check the driveway to ensure water doesn't flow into the garage or
toward the house. The driveway should be built to direct water away
from the house or garage and drain away from the buildings.
Rain gutters should be installed on all roofs and the downspouts
should drain at least 10’ away from the foundation. This will help
prevent water from sitting near the foundation walls.
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Basement:
When viewing the basement, use all of your senses. Sight, smell, and
feel. Does the basement smell moldy? If the basement is finished,
are the walls and floor covering dry? Look for cracks in the walls
and floors. The majority of concrete basements will have minor
cracks in the floors and walls from settling so don't be alarmed
unless they are large enough to allow water to enter or they are
considered serious structural cracks. Look for any large cracks and
look for water leakage or stains from past flooding. (It's best to
let the Certified Home Inspector determine how serious the cracks
are.)
One of the best known techniques for discovering water leakage is to
look at the wood that has contact with the basement floor. Look for
water staining on the wood itself and look for a white powder
substance called effloresce. When water seeps through concrete the
water contains salt and mineral deposits with and the wood will
absorb the water and the salts and minerals, however the salts will
stay put on the outside of the wood and will look like a white
powder substance. This may indicate there was water present in the
basement. The Home Inspector will determine whether the evidence
indicates past or present water damage and should use an electronic
moisture meter that sends electronic waves into the material to
measure its moisture content to help determine if the water stains
are old or if the problem is still existing.
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Moisture:
 When
walking around the home, look for appliances that are not vented
outdoors. Such as: range hood, clothes dryers, fans in the bathrooms
etc. A lot of homes vent these products indoors. In my opinion, they are
asking for trouble with mold and moisture problems. ALL of these listed
items should be vented outside. You do not want this moisture unloaded
in your house! If any of these items are vented inside, an air exchanger
should be installed in the home to control the moisture and humidity
within the home. This will help but the best prevention is to have these
products properly vented outside.
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Doors and Windows:
Windows and doors need to be checked very closely for operability,
condensation, rot, broken gas seals between panes of glass,
levelness and look for missing or cracked caulking and glass panes.
Inspection the lock and mechanics of the windows as well to ensure
they will provide proper security. Ensure windows can open and are
not blocked by decks, clothes lines, power lines etc. In the event
of a fire or emergency, the window may be your only exit so it’s
important to check all windows and doors.
Another important area is to check the bottom corners of the doors
that have wood exterior frames. Nova Scotia tends to get a lot of
snow and ice. Some people do not clean the area around the door ways
as well as they should and as the ice and snow melts the wood will
absorb the water and moisture if the frame is not properly water
sealed and caulked. This tends allow the development of rot in the
lower corners of the door frames so be aware of this and check it.
Any of these problems should be noted.
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Ask questions and lots of
questions before you make an offer and get
EVERYTHING IN
WRITING. Ask
the sellers to sign these documents so you have proof if you ever
need it at a later date for legal challenges. If they refuse to sign
or put things in writing, view this as a red flag and reconsider the
purchase.
Here are some of the
questions I can think of that would benefit you by asking and
getting the answers in writing;
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When was the roof covering replaced? Was any sheathing replaced
during that time?
- Was the furnace/water heater regularly cleaned and inspected and
do they have a log of the dates and times? Ask to see it!! (It may
be difficult to give you a copy if the report is stuck to the side
of the furnace so just make sure it exists and check for consistent
cleaning and servicing.) Do be afraid to call the furnace company to
verify the services performed.
- Is there insulation in the walls and ceiling? If so, what type of
insulation? Is there any insulation or items in the home that may
contain asbestos that you are aware of? Vermiculite Insulation is
installed in some older homes and a small percentage of this
insulation may contain traces of asbestos. Click here to read more
about this.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/prod/insulation-isolant_e.html
- Will they show you copies of electric and heating bills for the
year? (Not just the summer)
- Have any of the windows or doors been replaced recently?
- Are there any new developments in the area that they are aware of
that will impact the use and enjoyment of the property? (Check with
the City or local Municipality as well to be sure.)
- Have there been any fires in the home that they are aware of?
- Have any walls been knocked out or any major work done to the
structure of the house? If so, did they have a permit and were the
renovations approved by an Engineering firm or Architect?
- If there is a wood stove, has it been cleaned every year and was
it installed by a WETT certified installer? Is the stove a certified
stove and is it an EPA stove?
- Has the basement ever leaked? Is there a sump pump and if so, does
it work?
- Has the Electrical been upgraded and is there any aluminum wiring
or knob and tube wiring installed?
- Has the plumbing been upgraded? Are the water supply pipes plastic
or copper? Is the waste pipe plastic? Check to see if there are any
Cast Iron waste pipes and check for leakage and condition of pipes.
A lot of insurance companies prefer the black plastic pipes over
cast iron.
There are so many things to consider when buying a home but I hope
this page gives you a little help in making the best choice and when
you are ready to make that offer make sure you have a condition that
states the sale is subject to a full home inspection, then contact a
certified home inspector to go through the house and give you a full
report to ensure you are buying what you think you are buying.
If
you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me
anytime.
Ryan Ervanowitz
Armour Home Inspection
A Certified and Professional Local Inspector
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