Red flags when house hunting
When you are shopping for a house, there are some red flags when house hunting that you want to pay attention to. This isn’t to say that you will find them in every house, but sometimes you do, and you need to know a bit about them and why to avoid them.
Heavy caulking around window or door frames, especially if it has been painted over. This can be a sign of air leakage, or an attempt at hiding some wood rot.
Look for water stains when you are looking through the house. These can be found in or around the laundry areas, the kitchen and the bathrooms. Look for painted over areas that were to cover cracks, or if the room has wallpaper, then run your hands over the surface. Bumps or swelling is bad, as it means there is potential water damage. If it is smooth, then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
Maintenance of the home can cause red flags when house hunting. Things like paint peeling off the house on the outside can be a sign of how well they have taken care of the house. Or it could be that they were just waiting to paint but the weather hadn’t co-operated as of yet.
Potpourri or lots of other scented items sprinkled around the house may be a sign of a problem. Are they covering up something like a mold issue that is causing an issue?
Try flipping switches for the lights and anything else that may be on a switch. How do they work? Do they flicker at all? If so, you are going to want to make sure to check out all the wiring in the home.
Check out the neighbourhood. How many houses have been for sale or sold recently? Does the amount of houses seem to be more than average? If so, find out why. It could be due to some new construction or maybe there has been a lot of crime recently. Make sure to look around as well to see what kind of conditions the other houses are in.
While many houses have no issues with them, some houses will have some that are obvious, and others that are hiding. Regardless if you find any red flags while house hunting, when you decide to make an offer, it is always best to get an inspection for a professional opinion on the issues.
Related posts: