Whether this is your first home or you are an experienced home buyer, here are some red flags you will want to watch for as you are looking for the right home to purchase. These red flags are not necessarily dealbreaker, but they are indicative of home conditions that may require repair and replacement, and should be factored into your offer price or ultimately the final sale price of your new home.
If you come across any of these items in a house you are looking to purchase, be sure to make a note of them, and bring up your concerns with your Realtor or home inspector.
One of the best things about the home buying process is that you are not alone in determining the condition of your next home. Your home inspector can help you locate and evaluate potential issues with your home, and is trained to spot the structural and systemic isues that perhaps the average person would not notice. As your home inspector, I can identify these issues and also advise you about potential remedies or repairs.
A home inspection can locate termite infestation that you may not have noticed. The reliability of the heating and ventilation system will be more apparent to the inspector than to your untrained eye. Foundation and structural problems will also be more recognizable to the inspector than to you. Your reliance upon the expertise of the home inspector allows you to mount a little offensive in this home-buying process. You can use the defects described in a home inspection report as an effective negotiating tool to get a better price with the buyer.