You’ve held an image of your dream home in your mind for some time now, and you believe you’ve finally found it. You’ve gone through all the steps to buy a house and are nearly at the end.
While this is an exciting prospect, you should always look at a potential home through a realistic lens. Sometimes the saying “it’s too good to be true,” can apply, and knowing this before purchasing a house can save a lot of time (and headaches) in the future.
How do you know if the house you’re looking at isn’t worth buying?
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1. The roof is not up to par.
Perhaps one of the most important surface things to look at in a new home is the roof. Are shingles missing or curling up? Is there obvious water damage, or holes? A good roof can last for 30 or more years, but one that is not of great quality will need repairing much sooner.
Ask how old the roof is and what it’s made of. Look at the gutters to make sure the drainage system in place works well. Replacing a roof can set you back anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000, so you want to ensure you either have a top-notch roof in place.
2. It’s in a flood zone or other natural disaster-prone area.
A home that is privy to flooding or other extreme weather events may not be worth it, as you could find yourself in need of handling damages to the property more often than you like.
Additionally, insurance costs will be higher, and your ability to sell the home in the future if you wish to do so could be hindered by this factor. Plug the address into FEMA’s flood map to see how at risk the property is.
3. The ownership history is dodgy.
A house with a high homeownership turnover can indicate a serious problem. Know that the average length of homeownership in the United States is nine years. An average ownership length of three years or fewer is something to raise concern about.
There could be hidden issues that only come with time, causing owners to give up the house, so it’s best to check the ownership record.
4. It’s not upgradeable.
Many folks who buy a house look to put work into it to increase equity. This could include an addition to the main home, a garage on the property, or a patio in the backyard.
While this sounds great, you should be sure it’s actually allowable on the property. Determine this by looking at local zoning restrictions that could affect potential renovations.
5. Your senses were intentionally overwhelmed upon viewing.
There are many tricks sellers employ to make homes more appealing to potential buyers. Two, you should be aware of have to do with hearing and smell.
Was there music playing in every room? It’s possible this was to mask an abundance of outside noise. Was there an overwhelming air freshener smell? This could be hiding noxious odors.
Ask to view the house again without these factors present to be sure they aren’t serving as cover-ups.
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