Buyer beware: warning signs to consider when house-hunting

There is nothing wrong with having a picture of what your dream house should look like, but you have to be aware that such a list could stop you from closing a very appealing deal. In your mind, if the property does not have a farmhouse sink for instance does not deserve your attention. After all, there are plenty of options to choose from; it just requires time. Well, this is not the right attitude because that specific house may not have a sink, but it most likely includes other interesting features that you should not overlook. The main idea is that buyers should make a clear difference between deal red flags, nightmares and minor inconveniences. Life is all about compromise, at least in this case.

Major issues buyers encounter when inspecting houses

The main things that can instantly transform home buying excitement into a nightmare refer to a shaky foundation, plumbing problems, unfunctional cooling and heating systems, loose or missing shingles leading to an unreliable roof and damp dangers, pest infestation, electrical issues translated into flash and flickers. You do not even need to spend much time examining the house because such obvious red flags will make you walk away from any potential deal sooner than expected. Who would ever accept to buy a property with a not so flat floor in the living room or cracking in brickwork? These types of major problems appear in time and prove the lack of maintenance or interest displayed by the homeowner. Moving on to other deal breakers, but less serious, these include a bad school district, which mostly represents a priority for families or family-oriented buyers, asbestos insulation, which can prove to be a health threat, novice plumbing and wiring, which does not mean that the specific house currently has plumbing or electricity issues, but it might have in the near future.

Minor inconveniences that buyers can deal with

In comparison to these warning signs, certain drawbacks that buyers can deal with get a pass. We are talking about a bad roof that is not leaking and might only require at some point in the future the replacement of asphalt shingles, an outdated stove instead of a modern one, which does its job, but it does not exude that luxury feel, an ugly carpet that you can easily rip out and lay new tile instead, a floral explosion on the walls or visually unappealing paint colors that you can cover over the weekend with a new coat of paint thus giving the room a whole different vibe. Of course, in some cases, the grandmother’s wallpaper hides numerous sins that you simply cannot accept. Taking into account the number of house-hunting deal breakers that you can encounter when exploring and inspecting different properties, you should rather create a list of things that you need to look out for instead of things that you hope to find inside or outside a house. Thus, what should you add to the list besides what we already mentioned above?

Mold represents a common problem that most homeowners face

Unfortunately, even though we tackled some important issues that every buyer should consider when shopping for a new home, there is more. For instance, some properties could hide mold in the basement or in places hard to reach, a dead animal in the backyard or a buried oil tank, safety concerns, excessive pest or water damage, radon issues, deck building mistakes, compromised gutters, rotted wood and more. Taking into consideration all these “details”, we can easily understand the amount of stress buyers experience when looking for a decent property. The reality is that many people lie or hide the truth in order to prevent their home from sitting on the market for too long because the more time it passes without selling a property, the fewer chances they have to close a good deal. Sometimes, you cannot even trust the home inspector because after all, he is not the one about to invest a substantial amount of money in the house. Therefore, you have to inspect every room and every corner personally and attentively in order to spot potential warning signs.

Sometimes, you have to trust your instinct before making a big decision

As mentioned above, minor inconveniences like a yellow refrigerator or no curb appeal should not impede you from investing in a promising property, but you cannot neglect bad smells or excessive moisture because if you ask for a professional mold inspection or if you do it yourself, you will most likely find the toxic fungus growing peacefully and compromising the structure of the house. You do not have to be very strict meaning that if you see a little bit in the bathroom, you do not have to run in the other direction because the bathroom represents the most humid room in the house, thus making the perfect environment for mold growth, but this happens to most homeowners and it does not represent a health risk. The worst-case scenario: if you do not remove it, ordinary household mildew leads to a runny nose and sneezing. When it comes to examining a home before closing a deal, buyers can be very paranoiac meaning that if they sense a bad odor, the logical step is to find the source, but if they sense a pleasant smell that seems too good to be true, they assume that the current homeowner used perfume or scented candles to cover up something.

Undoubtedly, house-hunting represents an interesting process filled with excitement but also disappointment, depending on the result. Some people manage to buy the house of their dreams while others have to deal with improvement projects, repairs and replacement after buying a property and moving in. If you want to be part of the first category, pay attention to the warning signs tackled in this article.