How To Avoid Shocks when Purchasing a House
Buying a home may be a stressful process, and finding problems the day you move in may be a nightmare. If you're purchasing new construction, such as Manorwood Estates in Commack New York, you will have little to worry about. New construction usually will not have hidden problems as everything is newly built. Most problems come up with existing homes, and great care must be taken when purchasing a home.
1. Use a Home Inspector with Existing Homes! We can't stress this enough. While a home inspector may cost several hundred dollars or more, he or she may save you tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars down the road. I personally know people who looked at houses, were about to write the deposit check and pulled-out because the inspector found badly damaged foundations that needed tens of thousands of dollars in repairs, sagging walls that needed structural rebuilding of the house, dilapidated wiring that present a fire hazard and other problems that are not visible to the naked eye. Even those that are detectable may not show off a red flag to a homeowner, whereas an inspector they may quickly recognize the danger.
2. Drive by the house at Various Times. We're not telling you park in front of the home and stalk the existing homeowners. Drive by several times on various days and look at the neighborhood. Don't even look at the home. Focus on what is going on around the house. Is this a neighborhood you want to live in? Are these the people you want to have? They will be there when you move-in, so make sure you think about this before purchasing a home. You may love the house, but hate the block. If that the case, you should want to look elsewhere.
3. Ask to View the House Immediately after a Heavy Rain. Monitor the weather reports. If there is a report of heavy rains on a Wednesday, try to plan a visit on Wednesday evening. The house may look dry during the open home, but it may be leaky or damp after rain. You don't want to be surprised to find this out the week you move in.
4. Ask Some Obvious Questions. If all the other houses in the neighborhood use natural gas to power in the stove, does this one? If oil heat is common, is this how to use electric? These are big questions to ask that many people may take for granted. Be sure you know the answers.
5. Look at the Landscape. Does the land pitch away from the home? Why does the backyard have a hill that runs straight towards the house? Typically, you want property the grades away from the home so that rainwater away from the foundation. If the property is graded towards the house, that run-off water can drift towards your foundation, which may cause foundation problems, leaks and floods.
This is the biggest purchase most people will ever make. Be sure that you've asked all the questions, open all the doors, look behind the pictures and, yes, even behind posters on the walls, to make sure everything is what you expect. In one home we found, a movie poster covered in 17 inch hole in the wall!
With new construction - particularly new developments - you generally will not have these issues. Nonetheless, you should look at these things carefully to avoid problems down the road.
1. Use a Home Inspector with Existing Homes! We can't stress this enough. While a home inspector may cost several hundred dollars or more, he or she may save you tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars down the road. I personally know people who looked at houses, were about to write the deposit check and pulled-out because the inspector found badly damaged foundations that needed tens of thousands of dollars in repairs, sagging walls that needed structural rebuilding of the house, dilapidated wiring that present a fire hazard and other problems that are not visible to the naked eye. Even those that are detectable may not show off a red flag to a homeowner, whereas an inspector they may quickly recognize the danger.
2. Drive by the house at Various Times. We're not telling you park in front of the home and stalk the existing homeowners. Drive by several times on various days and look at the neighborhood. Don't even look at the home. Focus on what is going on around the house. Is this a neighborhood you want to live in? Are these the people you want to have? They will be there when you move-in, so make sure you think about this before purchasing a home. You may love the house, but hate the block. If that the case, you should want to look elsewhere.
3. Ask to View the House Immediately after a Heavy Rain. Monitor the weather reports. If there is a report of heavy rains on a Wednesday, try to plan a visit on Wednesday evening. The house may look dry during the open home, but it may be leaky or damp after rain. You don't want to be surprised to find this out the week you move in.
4. Ask Some Obvious Questions. If all the other houses in the neighborhood use natural gas to power in the stove, does this one? If oil heat is common, is this how to use electric? These are big questions to ask that many people may take for granted. Be sure you know the answers.
5. Look at the Landscape. Does the land pitch away from the home? Why does the backyard have a hill that runs straight towards the house? Typically, you want property the grades away from the home so that rainwater away from the foundation. If the property is graded towards the house, that run-off water can drift towards your foundation, which may cause foundation problems, leaks and floods.
This is the biggest purchase most people will ever make. Be sure that you've asked all the questions, open all the doors, look behind the pictures and, yes, even behind posters on the walls, to make sure everything is what you expect. In one home we found, a movie poster covered in 17 inch hole in the wall!
With new construction - particularly new developments - you generally will not have these issues. Nonetheless, you should look at these things carefully to avoid problems down the road.
About the Author:
Tips by Craig Axelrod, with Emmy Homes. Emmy is which is one of Long Island's most established real estate developers. Emmy's Commack development features new construction in Commack. Visit EmmyHomes.com for more details.