Buyers, are you ready to save some money? If so, read on— this article is all about how to save you, the buyer, some cash.
The first place to begin is with a question. How does one know if a property is in good condition? One option is to make an offer and then call an inspector to come and assess the condition of the property. At face value this seems to be a great choice, however, there may in fact be a high chance that you will have to pay money out of pocket several times.
For instance, you located a property and decided to place an offer. When you place the offer it is strongly recommended that you attach a home inspection condition. Let's play devil's advocate and say the inspection went poorly— the seller then fixes the problems, now you will need to contact the inspector again to ensure the repairs were made correctly. That is twice you have to pay for an inspector for one property.
The following are some things you can look at in order to determine if you even want to place on offer on a certain property.
As you walk from room to room, train your eye to look at the details. Meaning; look at the trim look in the corners— does it fit together nicely, or is it off? As you continue to survey the home your eyes will begin to pick up on things that may be a bit off. Do not forget to check the electrical panel. You need not be an electrician, simply open the panel and look; if the wires look good then all is well.
The next thing you will want to take note of, are any blatant code violations. You do not need to know the codes verbatim to know when something is either dangerous or illegal. Such as, missing hand rails on the stairs, electrical hazards such as sockets that are right next to a sink.
The tips provided will hopefully get the buyer to look past the wallpaper and the cute border in the kitchen, and take note of the less obvious signs that show the true condition of a house.