Golf Course Homes Hidden Hazards says Scottsdale Home Inspector.

As a Scottsdale home inspector I get to look at some lovely properties including golf course homes.

The homes on the fairway always seem more open  since you can normally see through the fence instead of the masonry wall found in other areas.

However when purchasing a Scottsdale golf course home, pay close attention to which direction the balls are flying, where the trees are and look at the neighbors and see if you can see damage or evidence of numerous repairs.

Issues found by the Scottsdale Home Inspector

I recently did a Scottsdale home inspection and while the home I was inspecting had been repaired and painted recently, the home next door looked like someone used it for target practice.

The walls were masonry on the bottom but the top of the walls were wood framed with stucco. The stucco used most often on homes in the Phoenix metro area is known as a one coat system.

Unlike stucco in other parts of the country that is put on in several layers over several days until it is 3/4 inch thick, one coat stucco is 3/8 of an inch thick. this make it easy to damage.

In addition to the stucco, you may also want to think about the windows. The Scottsdale home inspection I performed revealed that while the home had dual pane windows installed at the time it was built, it now has 3 windows missing the outside piece of glass. The home next door decided to just use duct tape to repair the damage.

It is easy for anyone to see the damage to the stucco and the windows but then, as a  Scottsdale home inspector, I had to access the roof. There were about 25 roof tiles that had been replaced, 8 more that had been glued back together and stucco damage to the walls and chimney above the roof.

I am not picking on Scottsdale golf course homes, all homes located next to fairways are subject to more damage than other homes. this home could have just as easily been located in Chandler, Gilbert or Phoenix.

My point is if you are hiring a Scottsdale home inspector, make sure you get someone that understands the hazards. Neither the agent or the buyer had realized that the outside glass was missing from the windows until I pointed it out and showed them the difference between a single and double pane window.