Consider These Things While Buying A House (20 pics)
“Is this property in a flood zone? Just because it’s not on the water, doesn’t mean the property is flood free. Check with the county AND ask the neighbors.”
“Go to showings when it’s rainy as ###k, then check out the basement. This will expose any water issues with the foundation even a moron like me could see. One house I was shown had a cable run into the basement from outside at the dirt level and never sealed – so there was a stream of water pouring over the circuit breaker box onto the basement floor. Passed on that house.”
“Speaking from personal experience – look out for a seller who likes to do DIY home improvements. Sure, those cabinets etc look OK but you are in for a lifetime of ###tty problems!”
“My Grandfather sold Real Estate for decades. The 1st two things he looked for was the roof and the furnace. If either were too old or looked like a possible replacement was needed soon then it’s something to consider.”
“Pizza delivery no-go zones.”
“If your realtor says “built to code”, that means they made the building as cr#ppy as legally possible.”
“Pay attention to cabinet space in the kitchen.”
“Highway noise. I’m 1000 feet from one and it’s so ##king loud.”
“Not a realtor, but for the love of God, get your house inspected before you sign anything. Foundation, roof, wiring, plumbing, appliances, etc.”
“As a construction guy, please please PLEASE check the attic. People buy houses and never check the actual AC. If you go up there and smell a burnt smell, or see big silvery tubes that look crumpled, those are issues. I do HVAC. A burnt smell in the attic means both a compressor issue (caused by never changing the filter) and the silvery tubes are called flex, which acts as ductwork. If they look bent, don’t buy.”
“You should check to see if you have a good mobile signal.”
“When you bang on the walls if you hear moving it’s probably squirrels. Source – bought house full of squirrels.”
“When the sellers have stuff hung on the walls in places no one would EVER hang stuff, they may be covering up damage from a decade-long termite infestation.”
“Grading. Hands down. Or, the angle at which the ground slopes at the foundation of the house. If the ground slopes towards the house, then that means any rain is just going to be funneled right up to your foundation and can cause some big problems.”
“Houses built pre 1930 (In US/CA anyway) can be beautiful, but might as well say ‘here be dragons’ when trying to find problems.”
“Insist on ‘vacant possession’ when buying – you don’t want to inherit an attic full of someone else’s cr#p.”
“Night trains and flight paths.”
“Fresh paint, new carpet, but nothing else updated. It’s the realtor remodel special. Just there to make you feel good on your 15 min walk through. Look at the tiles, trim, foundation to see what you really need to know. And always drive the neighborhood at night if you do not know it.”
“Put a marble on the floor and see where/if it rolls.”
“Lots of incense/fresheners usually means they are trying to cover up something.”
