Every weekend house tour gives me the opportunity to see something I've never seen before!
I've seen beautiful homes that have beautiful hardwood floors clean and freshly polished, new interior doors, fresh paint in the walls and trim and curb appeal that makes me smile when I pull up to the house!
Here is some unsolicited advice to anyone who may be putting their house on the market for sale.
Clean Your House & Repair Obvious Plumbing and Electrical Issues
Really?
I think the money spent on this amount of duct tape could have gone to fixing the problem.
If you are buying a home, this is an obvious red flag (covered in white duct tape) but here are a few other not to obvious things to look for when you are touring a house.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING A HOME
- When you first look at the property, observe the lay of the land. Does it slope toward the house? Are there any low spots around the exterior of the home? Do the down spouts drain away from the foundation?
- If the house has a basement, check to see how it smells. Moisture has a distinct odor so does mold and mildew. Pay attention to your nose as you go through the lower level. Is there a sump pump? Did they do a perimeter drain system? These are good things to see because if often means they had a problem and did what they could to address it.
- In the kitchen and bathrooms, check the electrical outlets for GFI protection. In cheap flips the flippers often ignore this important part of a remodel. The GFI outlets protect you from shock in case you inadvertently drop a blow dryer or toaster or something electrical into water.
- Take a picture of the serial numbers on the HVAC system. You can look up the age and determine if you may need to purchase a home warranty. The water heater should have an expansion tank on top if it's older. The date is usually displayed on the side of the tank.
- Finally, look at the roof. Are the shingles curled? Is there debris in the gutters? These are things a home inspector will check for you but these things indicate the age and/or care of the roof and home maintenance.
Have questions about the home buying process?
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