3. If the home has a basement take a good look around down there. Try to find a place in the basement where you can see the inside of the actual exterior wall. Does it look dry? Or is it discolored? Pay close attention to the corners and the side of the house where water may collect if the property is sloped. If the house has a crawl space grab your flashlight. Open one of the crawl space doors and peek your head in there. Take a good look around. Does it seem dry? Does it have a very wet or mildew smell? A wet or mildew smell means water could be collecting under there. Make sure there is no debris or wood lying on the crawl space floor. This is an attractant to termites. Get a look around the interior of the foundation if you can from your vantage point with your flashlight. Also take a peak at the floor joists above. They should look clean and not discolored or moldy. If the home is on a slab and it has a garage look at the floor in the garage. Check for cracks on the garage floor. If there are cracks look around at the bottom of the walls where they meet the floor of the garage. Do you see much difference in where the floor meets the wall on one side compared to the others? If one side seems lower than another there could be potential movement of that slab. A home inspector will be able to tell you more. Here is a helpful link...

Basement and Crawlspace

4. While you are exploring the basement, crawl space or any other part of the house where plumbing is visible, look to see what material the pipes are made out of. Old metal galvanized pipes are generally outdated and subject to failure. PVC is preferred. They are easy to distinguish from one another. Cast iron looks obviously made of metal and is generally black and PVC is generally white and plastic. If you see PVC chances are there have been recent repairs or updates made to the plumbing. Also look for copper. Water lines are now generally made of copper. Check joints to be sure a good solid bead is in tact. An alternative to copper is PEX (crosslinked polyethylene). Corrosion resistant and generally easier to work with than metal or rigid plastic. Make sure to run faucets and flush toilets if the water service is on. Another helpful link...

Plumbing Troubleshooting

Stay tuned for Part 3...more to come.

contact me: briantsmith@realtracs.com or 615.975.0578