When you are buying a home, you need to be thorough on your viewings and make sure to check every last detail. It’s important that you find a place that suits your family’s needs, but you also need to be careful that you don’t move into a house that is filled with hidden problems that cost you a lot of money. Once you have signed the paperwork and moved in, there is no going back, and if the house starts falling apart, it’s up to you to fix it.
If a seller is stuck with a house that has severe maintenance issues, they will do anything to get rid of it, which often means covering up some of the problems when they show people around. It is important that you know how to spot the signs of potential problems during a viewing, so you don’t get caught out. These are some of the biggest things to watch out for when you are viewing a house.
Damp Spots
Damp is the number one thing to watch out for because it’s such a pain to deal with. It’s not the end of the world if a house gets a little damp on the walls from condensation, when showering, for example. However, if there is deep set damp in some of the walls, that is a serious issue. There are damp proof paints available that can be used in the bathroom to stop mildew and mold from growing but these will not combat a serious damp issue. If the damp sets in, you will need to call a professional company out to fix it and that is going to be incredibly expensive. You can’t just leave it because mold will start growing and that is dangerous to your health, and it will cause a bad smell in your home, so it’s vital that you spot it before you agree to buy the house.
When you are viewing a house, watch out for any signs of damp, like water stains on the walls, especially around the bottom. If there are a lot of damp patches around the bottom of the walls, this is a sign that the pipes are leaking. Bubbling, blistering, and peeling paint is another common sign of damp, and there may even be spots of mold, but these are likely to have been cleaned off. If you notice that certain areas of the house have been recently painted, you should ask why. In some cases, the seller may just want to give the house a fresh coat of paint, which is fine. But if it is only in certain rooms and not others, that is a sign that they may be trying to cover up some of the signs of damp.
Roof Damage
Roof damage is one of the reasons why a house might have damp problems throughout. If there are holes in the roof, water will leak through and start to run down all of the walls in the house, causing some serious damage. That’s why it’s so important that you check out the roof when you view the house. A surveyor will have a proper look, but while you are on an initial viewing, see if there are any obvious signs of damage and ask to see the attic if possible. One or two loose tiles is not the end of the world and it’s relatively easy to fix yourself (check out https://www.fixmyroof.co.uk/ for a quick guide to help you). But if there are some huge holes in the roof, that is going to be incredibly expensive to fix, and it is likely that there is already damage to the rest of the house as a result.
Cracks
Cracks in the walls can be caused by a number of different things, some of them incredibly serious, so you need to watch out for them. In some cases, you might see small hairline cracks in the paint because the room hasn’t been decorated for a long while, and that is nothing to worry about. But larger cracks can indicate some big, expensive maintenance problems.
If the foundations of the building are unstable and they are shifting, this will cause cracks in the walls. The cracks will get larger over time and eventually, the house may become unsafe to live in. A foundation repair company (like this one at https://pinnaclefoundationrepair.com/) will be able to check any cracks and sort out foundation issues for you, but this will be expensive and can be quite invasive. If you are willing to take on a large project, you will be able to get the house at a good price if it has foundation issues. However, if you are not looking for a property that requires large scale renovations, you need to avoid anywhere that has cracks in the wall.
Uneven Floors
Uneven floors are another very common sign of foundation problems. If the floors are sloping, it is likely that you will need to have some expensive renovations carried out. The good news is, it’s easy to see whether a house has sloping floors, you just need to bring a small ball or a marble with you on viewings. It may seem a little strange, but you should put the marble on the floor in each corner of the room and leave it. If it rolls on its own, the floors are sloping and you should be very careful. In older properties, sloping floors may be caused by warped wood rather than foundation problems. But if you notice sloping floors, make sure that you ask about foundation problems and have a surveyor check for you to make sure that there are no serious problems you need to be aware of.
Low Water Pressure
When you are looking around a house, you should always stop to try all of the taps and flush all of the toilets. This may seem like a strange thing to do, but it helps you to see whether there is an issue with water pressure. Low water pressure may point to bigger problems so you need to check it out. For example, low water pressure may be caused by leaking pipes, and those leaks will only get worse until eventually, the pipe bursts and you have a flood on your hands.
Make sure to check the water pressure in each room, and take a look at the plumbing, in general, to make sure that it is in good condition. Check the cupboards under sinks, for example, to see whether there are leaks. You should also ask about the pipe insulation and check that none of the pipes are old lead ones. Finally, check when the boiler was last replaced. If the plumbing is outdated, you have a much higher chance of problems in the future, and your heating systems will not be as efficient, so your monthly energy costs will be a lot higher.
Faulty Electrics
You need to check the electrics as well because faulty electrics can be incredibly dangerous. This is especially important in older houses because outdated wiring is not fit to cope with the level of electricity that an average family uses. If the wiring is overloaded, this can be dangerous, so always double check. Try all of the light switches around the house to ensure that they are all working properly, and ask the seller when the wiring was last updated.
Cell Phone Signal
This is something that people tend to forget, but it’s so important. We all rely on our cell phones on a daily basis, so it’s a big inconvenience if you can’t get any signal in your house and once you’ve moved in, there isn’t much that you can do. In some cases, changing providers will help but some houses just don’t get a signal at all. When you are looking around the house, get your phone out from time to time and check whether you have a signal or not. It doesn’t matter if there are a few rooms where the service is bad, but if it is terrible in every room of the house, you should consider whether that is going to be a problem for you.
These are all important things that you need to watch out for when you are viewing a house. If you spot some of these problems, it doesn’t automatically mean that you shouldn’t buy the house, but you do need to weigh up your options carefully. Think about how much work you are willing to take on and whether you can afford home improvement projects or not. If there are big structural issues or holes in the roof, you can use this as a negotiating tool to get a lower price on the house. However, this is only a good option if you are willing to fix the problems before you move in.
Before you start viewing houses, consider how much maintenance you are willing to do before you move in, and make sure to look out for these common issues.