Your Guide to Finding Potential Problems in a New Home
When you are looking to buy a home, it is normal to react emotionally when you are trying to find the “one.” Don’t let that emotional response dull your more pragmatic senses. Buying a home is a huge responsibility, both in terms of finances and in terms of maintenance. Make sure that you’re not saddling yourself with stressful repairs that are overshooting your budget by trying to identify potential problems before you buy.
Make sure that you’re not saddling yourself with stressful repairs that are overshooting your budget by trying to identify potential problems before you buy. As you embark on your house hunt in North San Antonio, TX, here is what you need to know.
What you get out of a Property Inspection
A property inspection not only allows you to fully understand what you are getting into; it is a valuable bargaining chip. For instance, if you uncover the need for costly repairs, you can amend your offer to reflect those costs. You may determine that the damage or need for repairs is too much and it might make more sense to walk away.
You may determine that the damage or need for repairs is too much and it might make more sense to walk away. The real value of a property inspection is that you go beyond the walls and the floor to determine if there is damage to your home’s structure and components that may not be readily obvious.
A property inspection can also help you to budget more accurately, by helping to anticipate what kind of repairs you’ll need to manage after you purchase the home. Make sure that you use a property inspector that is licensed and certified.
Insulation is Important
It’s not just your mortgage and maintenance costs that you need to anticipate as a homeowner. Heating and cooling your home can be pricey too. You can reduce these costs by quite a bit by making sure that your home is airtight.
You can reduce these costs by quite a bit by making sure that your home is airtight. Make sure that the walls are well-insulated.
Insulation acts as a barrier between the outdoor temperature and the air inside (either heated or cooled, depending on the season). That barrier means that your comfort system doesn’t have to work overtime to keep your indoors at a pleasant temperature.
Flip the Switches
Do the light switches turn on in the home? Do they appear to be connected to a power source? This could present a fire hazard, so you’ll want to investigate any wiring associated with switches that don’t work. Wiring could be faulty or old.
Wiring could be faulty or old. Make a point of seeing if you have a working HVAC system, and that it flows with cool air. Same goes for the furnace.
If appliances are included with your home purchase, you may want to make sure that they switch on and off as well. Don’t forget to make sure that fans are functional too.
